CONWAY, Ark. – Non-conference play is officially in the rearview mirror, and the Central Arkansas women's basketball team looks ahead to the main course of the season: the start of Atlantic Sun games. Up first for the Sugar Bears is a Saturday showdown with North Alabama in Florence. Tipping off at 5 p.m., the Lions and Sugar Bears battle for the fifth time as ASUN foes.
 
Central Arkansas (8-5) ended its fall semester with a classic new-look Sugar Bear win over Alabama A&M last Friday. Nine players scored, including a game-high 20 from Kinley Fisher, and contributions and winning plays were made from seemingly everyone that touched the floor against the Bulldogs. The 65-59 final score was punctuated by a defense that rose to the occasion and got better as the game went on: after shooting 41 percent in the first quarter, Alabama A&M's shooting percentage dropped in each successive quarter, bottoming out at 25 percent in the final frame.
 
And the defense has been crucial to the success of Central Arkansas this season, as the Sugar Bears have allowed teams to average 58.9 points per game, the second-best mark in the conference and a top-100 mark in all of Division I. That comes from a team-effort in getting stops and finishing defensive possessions, with the team recording 100 steals and 41 blocks through the first 13 games, and everyone contributing on the defensive glass. Five players have 30 or more defensive boards this year, and everyone who has made at least ten appearances has at least ten or more defensive rebounds.
 
North Alabama (4-9)  hosts its first ASUN game of the season after closing its non-conference slate with back-to-back losses to Tennessee Tech and Auburn. Both opponents scored nearly 80 points, while the Lions were unable to reach the 70-point mark in either game. The Lions' schedule is dotted with common opponents and familiar faces to this season's Sugar Bear squad, with North Alabama playing four common opponents, as well as assistant coach Kaitlyn Pacholke's previous stop, Southern Miss. Of the four (Denver, UT Martin, Alabama A&M and Samford), the Lions defeated the Skyhawks and Samford, picking up one decision against the Bulldogs that the Sugar Bears didn't. That being said, losses to Denver and Alabama A&M were two fates that Central Arkansas avoided earlier this season.
 
Scoring production has relied heavily on senior guard Alexis Callins, who leads the team with 16.8 points per game. She is one of three Lions in double-figures, and has three games of 20-plus points. She leads the team in both field goals and three-pointers, taking the bulk of the shots for her team. North Alabama does a terrific job of moving the ball around, ranking second in the conference with 14.8 assists per game and has the ASUN leader in assists (Sara Wohlgemuth, 70).
 
Saturday's ASUN opener is set for a 5 p.m. start time in Florence, Ala. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online. Fans can also keep up with all the action on The Bear 91.3, with Steve Owens on the call.