CONWAY, Ark. – Playing for the third time in six days, the Sugar Bear basketball team hosts Liberty on Saturday, Jan. 22 at the Farris Center. The third game of a four-game home stand, game time against the Flames is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Central Arkansas looks to get back in the win column after falling in its last game against Jacksonville State. After a strong first half that saw the score tied at the break, the offense petered out in the third quarter, allowing the Gamecocks to pull away.
 
Hannah Langhi and Randrea Wright led the team in scoring, netting 13 apiece. Rita James recorded a season-high seven points and five rebounds. The defensive energy was a large part of why the game stayed as close as it did. The Sugar Bears held Jacksonville State to just 38 percent shooting in the second quarter, and only allowed one free throw in the first half, giving the Sugar Bears the ability to keep it close. After a devastating third, the defense locked back up in the fourth, allowing just nine points on 27 percent shooting.
 
On offense, a young team had to play without its leading scorer in Lucy Ibeh. Third in the ASUN in points (15.4 ppg) and first in rebounds (10.9), Ibeh's absence opened the door for players like Ruth Balogun, who saw her highest number of minutes in the month of January. Jayla Cody, back after missing several games, played 12 minutes off the bench, recording a block and a rebound.
 
On the other side of the floor, Liberty holds a 16-2 record, including a 4-1 ASUN record. The team's only losses are a two-point heartbreaker against the Memphis Tigers, and a four-point stumble at Florida Gulf Coast University. Most recently, the team snatched a win from Jacksonville, scoring the game-winning basket with 16 seconds left to take a 49-48 win.
 
Mya Berkman, who led the team with 12 points and 11 rebounds, also leads the team in both categories on the year. Scoring 12.8 points per game and averaging 7.2 rebounds, she leads a team that holds a 16 point per game differential. The Liberty defense is the fifth-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing only 50.3 points per game.
 
Head coach of Liberty is Carey Green. At the helm since 1999, Green has won 70 percent of his games, entering the season with 495 wins, hitting the 500-mark against Bowling Green on Nov. 28.
 
Tip-off against the Flames is set for 1 p.m. at the Farris Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, on the radio at 91.3 The Bear, with live stats available here.