CONWAY, Ark. – The winning ways continued for the Central Arkansas women's basketball team, as the Sugar Bears captured a 65-54 win over Hendrix Saturday morning. It stretches the team's winning streak to three in a row and keeps the Sugar Bears 2-0 at the Farris Center.
Kierra Prim had another monster outing on Saturday, matching a career-high with 24 points while setting a new high-mark with 18 rebounds, with 14 offensive rebounds. Kinley Fisher set a career-high with 10 points, connecting on a pair of three-pointers in the second half. Parris Atkins closed out the game with eight points in the fourth quarter, reaching 10 points for the third time this season.
The early tone of the game became apparent in the first minute of play, with Prim snaring an offensive rebound and drawing a foul on the second possession of the game. The junior forward would score the first 11 for the Sugar Bears, opening an 11-5 lead all by herself, adding six rebounds along the way. From there, the defense would lock up to close out the first, holding Hendrix scoreless for the final six minutes of the opening quarter, as the Sugar Bears grew the lead to 15-5.
Momentum would stay even through the second quarter, with the sides trading buckets in the next ten minutes. With 2:44 left in the period, Prim snared another offensive rebound, giving her ten boards on the night and giving her a double-double for the third game in a row. As time ticked down, Hendrix connected on a layup with 16 seconds left in the half to cut the lead to 11, sending the Sugar Bears to the break with a double-digit lead. Prim would end the half with 11 boards, nearly equaling the 12 rebounds by the entire Warriors roster.
Central Arkansas locked back up on defense out of halftime, allowing just 10 points in the third quarter. Five Warriors scored, but each one only tallied a single basket as Prim and the Sugar Bears built the lead further. Hendrix cut the lead to six with about four and a half minutes left in the period, but a 12-0 run to close it out ballooned the lead to 18 as the teams prepped for the fourth.
Building the lead over 20, Fisher came away with a steal and a sprint early in the fourth, finishing the fast break opportunity with 8:12 left in the ball game to increase the lead to a game-high 23. Undeterred, the Warriors chipped away at the lead, hitting three-straight threes to narrow the gap. But the Sugar Bears iced the game late, as Atkins utilized her superior athleticism to score eight points in the final minute to keep the Warriors at bay through the final whistle.
The Sugar Bears are back on the road for the next one, heading to Lorman, Miss., to face Alcorn State on Tuesday. Tip-off against the Braves is set for 6 p.m.
