FORT MYERS, Fla. – Battling a tough home environment in Florida, the Central Arkansas women's basketball team had its five-game winning streak snapped at Florida Gulf Coast. The 65-43 loss was just the second ASUN loss of the season for the Sugar Bears, and only the second loss for the team since December 16^th.
 
Central Arkansas drops to 16-7 overall, and now sits 8-2 in ASUN games. Jade Upshaw led the team with 14 points, and Bree Stephens had her second-straight game with double-digits, putting up a season-high 12 points. The Sugar Bears also played good stretches of defense against the Eagles, holding the home team to 41 percent from the floor and 20 percent from three. The five threes allowed were tied for the second-fewest in a game this season for FGCU, and was the third-lowest percentage in a game this year.
 
After scoring the first bucket of the game, the Sugar Bears endured the first blitz from FGCU, giving up an 8-0 run but battled back to make it 11-9 by the 2:30 mark. Upshaw, in particular, was a major factor in keeping the Sugar Bears in it, scoring nine of the team's 11 points in the first quarter. After allowing a score toward the end of the quarter, Central Arkansas only trailed by four after the opening frame.
 
Turnovers started to mount in the second quarter, which put the defense at a disadvantage. FGCU relied heavily on forcing miscues for points, due in large part to the halfcourt defense of the Sugar Bears. Midway through the quarter, however, Central Arkansas rattled off a 9-0 run to take the lead, becoming the first ASUN team this season to lead over FGCU after the first quarter. Though the lead was short-lived, when the defense was able to get set, the Sugar Bears proved that they could battle with the Eagles, who entered the game with a 31-game winning streak in ASUN games. The Sugar Bears trailed by nine at the halftime break, but had 12 points from Upshaw and six from Stephens.
 
As the third quarter got under way, the whistle started going against the Sugar Bears, which allowed FGCU to build on the lead from the stripe. When Central Arkansas defended without fouling, the Eagles were held to just 25 percent shooting, hitting their first and last shots of the quarter, and one in between. Seven more miscues aided the home team, who built the lead to 17 points after three. By the time the Sugar Bears were able to get to the foul line in the fourth quarter, the shots away from the line stopped falling, emphasizing a game that was good in spurts, but the pieces didn't quite fit together consistently enough for Central Arkansas.
 
With the loss, Saturday's game against Stetson becomes that much more important. With the Hatters defeating North Alabama on Saturday, they sit just a game behind the Sugar Bears in the ASUN standings, threatening Central Arkansas for the No. 2 seed as postseason approaches. Tip-off against the Hatters is set for 1 p.m. CT on Saturday in DeLand, Fla.