DELAND, Fla. – Despite having a chance at the end, the Central Arkansas women's Basketball team couldn't pull off the comeback bid against Stetson, falling 57-56 on Saturday.
The Sugar Bears fall to 16-8 with the loss, now sitting 8-3 in the ASUN.
Bree Stephens scored a season-high for the second-straight game, notching a game-best 16 points.
Kinley Fisher added 13 points, and
Cheyenne Banks had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Central Arkansas battled with the Hatters through the first five minutes of the first quarter, dueling to a 7-7 tie. But after trading with Stetson, the offense felt like it had a lid on the rim, going about as ice cold as possible. The Sugar Bears missed their final six shots of the frame, allowing a 9-0 run from Stetson to end the first with a lead.
The deficit would grow as much as 13 points before finally a three-pointer by Stephens would snap it and get the Bears back to scoring. But the Hatters maintained nearly a double-digit lead for several minutes in the second, before a 6-0 run cut the lead to just a couple of possessions with less than two minutes to go before halftime. The teams traded a pair of scores down the stretch, sending the Sugar Bears to the locker room down seven.
Making some adjustments at halftime, the Sugar Bears locked in on the defensive end, forcing the Hatters into tough shots, resulting in just a 28 percent clip in the third. On the other side, Fisher and
Leah Mafua dropped treys and helped the Sugar Bears cut into the lead. Then, as time expired, Fisher came away with a steal and was fouled on a three-point attempt with the scores separated by three points. Stepping up to the line, Fisher dropped all three freebies, tying the game as the teams headed to the fourth.
After three quarters of low-scoring basketball, in which the teams averaged 12 points per quarter, the offenses got going in the fourth. Stephens, in particular, was wheeling and dealing, scoring 10 points in just the fourth, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from deep.
Jade Upshaw started the quarter with a three-pointer, giving the Sugar Bears the lead. But an extended run would see the Hatters stretch the lead back to seven with under two to play. But Central Arkansas responded with an 8-2 run, cutting the lead to one with 29 seconds to go. Forced to foul, the Sugar Bears sent a Hatter to the line with 14 seconds to go. The Stetson player missed both freebies, and after securing the rebound, the Sugar Beras called their final timeout with six seconds to go. But the ensuing pressure from the Hatters prevented Central Arkansas from getting a shot off.
The Sugar Bears return home for the next two games, playing Bellarmine and Eastern Kentucky in the Farris Center. Tip-off against the Knights is set for 5 p.m. on Thursday, and EKU tips off at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
