CONWAY, Ark. – Another home game, another home win for the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears, as they dominated CBC to the tune of 120-47 Monday night. The Sugar Bears reset its three-point record, cashing in on 19 triples against the Lady Mustangs.
The win improves Central Arkansas to 4-1 on the season, on a night in which six players scored in double-figures.
Jade Upshaw scored 18 to lead all scorers,
Kinley Fisher and
Leah Mafua both added 17,
Jenna Cook and
Cheyenne Banks scored 13 apiece, and
Randrea Wright dropped ten of her own.
Central Arkansas came out guns blazing, opening with a 24-1 run before CBC was able to hit a field goal. Five Sugar Bears scored on the run, including nine points from Fisher on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting, including a three-pointer. By the time ten minutes of game-time had passed, Central Arkansas led by 24, shooting 57 percent from the field while holding CBC to as many points (7) as turnovers (7), mostly because of Mafua's four steals. The Sugar Bears showed great ball movement, finding six assists on the 12 makes.
The offense continued to flow, and the threes continued to fall in the second quarter. Upshaw turned up the heat in the frame, scoring eight points on just five shots, canning a pair of triples as the Sugar Bears increased the lead. Mafua took on the role of distributor in the quarter, finding three assists. And while the Lady Mustangs scored 15 in the frame, the continued great shooting by the home team stretched the lead to 34 by the end of the half.
If the first half shooting by Central Arkansas was good, the third quarter shooting was great; after shooting 52 percent from the field and 42 percent from three in the first half, the Sugar Bears turned up the heat in the third, shooting 67 percent from the field and 75 percent from distance as they Sugar Bears racked up 32 points in the frame. Six Sugar Bears, including all five starters, hit everything they shot, adding 16 points to the lead in less than six minutes of play. The Sugar Bears also continued to zip the ball around, logging assists on nine of ten buckets.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Mafua cashed in on yet another three, putting the Sugar Bears over the century mark for the second time this season. She hit two of the five Central Arkansas three-pointers in the frame, which had continued to fall throughout the game. A couple of minutes later, Wright knocked down a three of her own with just over 90 seconds to go, the 19
th three of the game. It bumped the lead to 70, and broke a record set earlier this season, when the Sugar Bears hit 18 against Hendrix.
In addition to the outlandish scoring, the effort was continuous throughout the game, and that showed up in both the eye test and the numbers. Central Arkansas missed just 35 shots all night in a 56 percent shooting effort, but got offensive rebounds on 20 of those misses, turning those into 28 second chance points.
Elizabeth Abiara was the leader on that front, pulling down six of her 13 rebounds on the offensive glass. Eight Sugar Bears had offensive rebounds, nine had at least one assist, and the Sugar Bears turned in a complete effort on Monday night.
Bree Stephens and Mafua continued to be absolute menaces on the defensive end, combining for eight steals to go along with Stephens' five blocked shots. Mafua ended the night with nine assists as well, going along with her 17 points.
Central Arkansas is back on the road for the next one, heading to Kansas State to take on the No. 10 Wildcats in Manhattan. Tip-off against Kansas State is set for 3:30 p.m.
