CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas women's basketball team wraps up a six-game road trip with a Tuesday game against Tulsa. Currently 3-2 in five games away from the Farris Center, the Sugar Bears look to add another win away from home, tipping off against the Golden Hurricane at 5 p.m.
The Sugar Bears (5-3) finally bucked the season's trend against Little Rock, stringing together consecutive results after defeating the Trojans 63-58 on Saturday. It marked the first time this season the Central Arkansas had put together a two-game streak of any kind, wins or losses. Before downing Little Rock, the Sugar Bears had only alternated between victory and defeat, but have finally gotten a run going with back-to-back wins.
Leah Mafua led the way against Little Rock, scoring a team-best 16 points while also pulling down seven boards. After a sluggish first quarter, Central Arkansas shot 46.5 percent from the field in the final three quarters to overcome a nine-point deficit.
Jade Upshaw and
Kinley Fisher also scored in double-figures, with Upshaw netting 13 and Fisher adding 11 off the bench.
Fisher and Upshaw make up one of the best three-point shooting duos in the country, combining for 37 three-pointers on a scorching 46 percent. Upshaw in particular, is 23
rd in the nation from distance, shooting 48.8 percent. Fisher, after hitting one against the Trojans, extended her streak of games with a made three-pointer to 18 games, hitting one in the final ten games of last year and all eight games this season.
Central Arkansas plays a Tulsa team that has also started the year 5-3, most recently dropping games to Mississippi State and TCU. The two losses are the only two times the Golden Hurricane have not scored at least 60 points this season.
The Golden Hurricane is still largely the same team it has been for the past few seasons: a high-flying, long-range shooting offense that can put a lot of points on the board. But the flip side of that this season has been, they also give up a lot of points, allowing nearly 77 points per game through eight contests.
Temira Poindexter leads Tulsa in scoring this season, one of two players averaging double-figures. Poindexter ranks 12
th in the country, averaging 22.2 points per contest, with four games of 25-plus and a season-high 30 against New Orleans. The junior forward is flanked by Delanie Crawford, who scores 18.6 points per game. The two are both in the top-five in scoring average in the AAC, with Poindexter atop the conference. Crawford is the team's best three-point shooter, connecting on 20 shots from distance at a 41.7 percent clip.
The Sugar Bears and Golden Hurricane face off at 5 p.m. in the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online. Fans can also follow the action on The Bear 91.3, with Steve Owens on the call.
