JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Leaving it all on the floor and battling to the final possession, the Central Arkansas women's basketball team dropped a 43-41 final score to Jacksonville State Thursday evening. The Sugar Bears were largely able to stay in the game forcing turnovers, but miscues of their own prevented the Sugar Bears from getting a win on the road.
 
Three players scored double-figures, led by Kierra Prim's 11 points, pairing those with 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the year. Kyjai Miles and Kinley Fisher each added 10, with Fisher playing all 40 minutes and coming up with a career-high five steals. With the loss, Central Arkansas falls to 6-13 overall, with a 1-7 ASUN record.
 
The Sugar Bears started the game with a pair of paint touches from Miles and Fisher, but were immediately answered by two quick three-pointers from Jacksonville State. Increasing the lead to six with just over three minutes remaining in the first, momentum seemed to be shifting toward the home team early in the game. But trips to the line by Prim and Fisher silenced the crowd, sending the teams to the second quarter with a two-point gap. After fighting back from the pair of triples, the Sugar Bears forced six-straight misses from beyond the arc to close the quarter.
 
Following a quick bucket from the Gamecocks, Central Arkansas punched back and scored five-straight to take a one-point lead. The teams battled to a tie game midway through the quarter, locked at 18 aside with just over four minutes to go in the first half. In a defensive battle to the buzzer, the Sugar Bears would score the final three points of the half, with the final 3:11 resulting in zero points for either side. Through 20 minutes, Central Arkansas took a 21-18 lead into the locker room, holding the Gamecocks to just six points in the second frame. Prim had seven points and seven boards at the midway point, leading the game in both categories.
 
Central Arkansas would continue to hold a small lead as the third quarter passed, holding the Gamecocks at bay and preventing the home crowd from getting into the game for much of the quarter. The lead peaked at four a couple of times, as late as the 4:46 mark in the quarter on a layup from Gloria Fornah. Up 28-24, the Sugar Bears gave up an 11-3 run to close the third, relinquishing their lead as the game went into the fourth, now trailing four with 10 minutes to go.
 
The fourth quarter was much like the third, albeit with the roles reversed. Jacksonville State clung to a small lead, as the Sugar Bears tried desperately to get over the hump to reclaim an advantage. Tying the game on a couple of occasions with a pair of 4-0 runs in the frame, Jacksonville State banked in a layup with five seconds left to sneak one out over Central Arkansas. Despite the slipup, the Sugar Bears eliminated a problem from last game, keeping the Gamecocks off the free throw line in the fourth, and outshot Jacksonville State 11-7 over the course of the game.
 
Though Jacksonville State coughed up 19 turnovers for just the third time this season, the Sugar Bears themselves gave up a season-high 24, providing a six-point difference in points off turnovers, favoring the Gamecocks. Central Arkansas came up with 12 steals on the night, with Fisher snaring five and Miles
 
Turning around quickly, the Sugar Bears stay on the road for another game on Saturday, this one against Kennesaw State. Tip-off against the Owls is set for 1 p.m.