CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas women's basketball returns to the Farris Center for its next game, hosting the Royals of Queens on Wednesday. Tipping off at 6:30 p.m., the Sugar Bears put their perfect 6-0 home record on the line in an ASUN matchup.
The Sugar Bears (12-6, 4-1 ASUN) rebounded from its loss at EKU with a dominant win over Bellarmine on Saturday, taking down the Knights 73-59.
Kinley Fisher led the way with 23 points, just one away from matching her career-high.
Jade Upshaw had 18 points and 10 rebounds, tallying her second double-double of the season. Defensively,
Bree Stephens recorded four blocks and 11 rebounds, dominating inside as the main part of a defense that counted eight blocks, six steals and 30 defensive rebounds.
Central Arkansas locked up the Knights in the second half, turning a four-point halftime deficit into a 14-point win after allowing just 21 points in the entirety of the half. Bellarmine shot a combined 8-for-34 in the second half, including 2-for-11 from three, converting just 23 percent of its field goals and nine percent of its threes. It improved the Sugar Bears' national standings in field goal percentage defense, improving the team to 20
th in the country, allowing opponents to shoot just 35.7 percent on the year.
Last season's matchup with Queens was the first ever between the teams, which the Sugar Bears won 73-43 in the Farris Center. The three returners on this season's team combined for 36 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists, controlling the game from start to finish.
Randrea Wright led the team with 20 points, while
Kierra Prim added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
This year's Queens squad (6-12, 0-5 ASUN) has struggled since the turn of the calendar, having last won on December 30
th. Since the start of 2024, the Royals have dropped five-straight, all in conference. Queens is getting outscored by nearly 14 points per game, and averages only 55.8 points per game, while allowing 69.2.
Most recently, it was a two-point loss at Stetson, one in which the Royals battled back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to storm all the way back to force overtime. Nicole Gwynn scored 24, with 17 points and 13 boards from Jordyn Weaver helping the Royals stay alive.
Gwynn has been the go-to player this season for the Royals, averaging a team-best 16.4 points per game this season. She is the only Royal to average double-figure scoring, and leads the team in field goals (105) and three-pointers (47). Weaver, who leads the team with 58 free throws, also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 8.1 boards per game, with 74 offensive and 71 defensive rebounds.
Tip-off against the Royals is set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. 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.
