CONWAY, Ark. – Postseason basketball begins on the road for the 5-Seed Sugar Bears, as the team heads back to Jacksonville, Fla. for a matchup with the 4-Seed Jacksonville Dolphins. Facing off for the second time this season, Central Arkansas looks to avenge its regular season loss in Swisher Gymnasium. Tip-off against the Dolphins is set for 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday.
 
Central Arkansas finished its first regular season in the ASUN with four conference wins, sweeping Bellarmine and claiming wins over North Alabama and North Florida. Now in March, the stakes have become all the higher, it's the iconic win-or-go-home part of the year.
 
As the regular season has progressed, the scoring load shifted from being senior heavy to finding balance, as the freshmen got used to the speed of Division I basketball and found themselves in the offense. Early on, the scoring relied on Lucy Ibeh, putting her in position to finish fourth in the ASUN in scoring at 12.8 points per game. In the early part of the conference schedule, Hannah Langhi found her rhythm, scoring 12 or more points in a stretch of seven out of ten games though January and into February.
 
Now that the team is deep into the season and practices have yielded improvement, the freshman cohort have stepped up in the latter stages of the year. Randrea Wright, after finding herself the target of scouting reports, has reentered a zone of confidence, averaging nearly 14 points per game over the last four games. Lashiyah Fowler has scored at least eight points in the last five games, solidifying a spot in the rotation. Ruth Balogun played the best game of her season just over a week ago, logging her first-career double-double.
 
Central Arkansas' opponent on Wednesday is Jacksonville University. Ending the regular season 15-12, by nature of being in the stacked East division, an 8-8 conference record only guaranteed a first-round hosting 4-Seed. With a 10-4 home record, the Dolphins have made Swisher Gymnasium a tough place to play this season.
 
A balanced offense, the Dolphins have four players scoring at least eight points on the year, led by Taylor Hawks, who scores 11.2 points. DeShari Graham also scores in double-figures, at 10.0 points per contest.
 
The defensive end is where Jacksonville stakes its claim, allowing only 58.6 points per contest. More than almost any team in the country, the Dolphins excel at forcing turnovers. Forcing almost 19 miscues per game, Jacksonville ranks second in the ASUN in steals, with five players with 30 or more steals. The Dolphins rank 27th in the country in total steals, with 278 swipes.
 
Last time these two faced off, Jacksonville erased a second-half lead in the fourth quarter, stealing a win in the final second of play. Randrea Wright scored a then-career-high 19 points, connecting on 11 free throws. Yet turnovers down the stretch killed the Sugar Bears, and is something the team will have to control in the second matchup.
 
Tip-off against the Dolphins is set for 6 p.m. CT at Swisher Gymnasium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, available on radio at 91.3 The Bear, with live stats available here.