BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Battling through foul trouble and a double-digit deficit, the Sugar Bear basketball team narrowly fell at Samford Saturday afternoon. Four players scored in double-digits, led by
Leah Mafua's 15.
Central Arkansas falls to 1-1 on the year after fighting back from down 13 at the end of the first quarter.
Jade Upshaw,
Randrea Wright and
Kinley Fisher also netted double-figure points, each scoring ten points.
The Sugar Bears got off to a slow start in the first quarter, falling behind 7-1 before a layup from
Cheyenne Banks with 6:29 marked the first field goal of the afternoon. But three-pointers and trips to the line for the Bulldogs built the lead, culminating in a 22-9 deficit.
Undeterred, the Sugar Bears got right back to work in the second period, finally seeing some shots fall in the quarter. Fisher and Upshaw combined for 13 of the 18 Central Arkansas points, shooting a combined 5-for-8 with three triples. And although the Bulldogs continued their parade to the free throw line, the shot contesting by the Purple and Gray stayed consistent and aggressive, forcing Samford into missing 10 of 12 shots in the frame. The 16 percent shooting by the home team allowed Central Arkansas to climb back into the game, outscoring the Bulldogs 18-12 in the second to cut the lead to seven by the midway point. Fisher led the Sugar Bears with seven points.
As the third quarter progressed, the defense of the Central Arkansas stayed locked in, holding the Bulldogs to another quarter of sub-20 percent shooting quarter, limiting Samford to 2-of-11 shooting for an 18 percent success rate. But the offensive side of the ball only helped to chip away a couple of points off the lead. Only one Bulldog scored more than two points, as Central Arkansas trimmed the lead to five points.
Samford opened the fourth with a bucket to push the lead back to seven, but that was as large as the lead would get before the Sugar Bears pushed back. Six-straight points, a
Leah Mafua layup and four free throws, to slice the lead to one. The Bulldogs were able to stay at arm's length, however, and the teams traded baskets over the final five minutes. Then, with under four minutes to play,
Leah Mafua pulled in a steal and took it coast-to-coast, getting fouled on the layup attempt. Sinking both free throws, she evened the game at 57-57 with 3:27 to go, completing a three-quarters long effort to erase the earlier 13-point deficit. But back-to-back scores by Samford kept the home team in the lead, and the Sugar Bears were never able to get over the hump.
Despite not shooting particularly well from the field, Central Arkansas made its freebies, hitting 15-of-17 from the charity stripe for an 88 percent clip. The Sugar Bears also outrebounded the Bulldogs 38-32, including a 10-6 advantage on the offensive glass. And although Central Arkansas outscored Samford 30-6 in the paint, the 29-15 disadvantage at the free throw line was ultimately the difference maker for the home team.
Central Arkansas is at home again on Tuesday, facing UT Martin at 6:30 p.m.
