CONWAY, Ark. – Playing in their first ASUN Championship Semifinal, the Sugar Bears get set to host Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday. Central Arkansas and the Colonels duke it out for the third time this season, tipping off at 6:30 p.m.
The Sugar Bears improved to 20-10 on the year after defeating North Alabama on Saturday. It marked the first time that Central Arkansas has hit the 20-win mark since 2017-18.
Jade Upshaw led the way on Saturday, scoring 17 points and hitting a pair of triples.
Cheyenne Banks scored 12 points, and
Kinley Fisher added 10 of her own, also hitting a pair from deep.
Saturday's win also marked the first win in an ASUN Championship game for the Sugar Bears, who were previously 0-1 after falling in their first season in the ASUN. Central Arkansas locked down defensively after a back-and-forth first quarter, holding the Lions to 30.7 percent shooting after the first quarter.
Central Arkansas played Eastern Kentucky twice this season, splitting the two games. The home team won each of the games, resulting in a seven-point loss for the Sugar Bears in Richmond and a 34-point win in Conway. Central Arkansas' home game was wild: the Colonels were held to zero points in the first quarter, missing all 12 of their shots and falling behind 17 points after the first quarter.
Bree Stephens came out of the gates with bad intentions, scoring or assisting on the first 11 points and blocking a shot in the first three minutes of the game. She would finish with 14 points, one of four Sugar Bears in double-figures. Central Arkansas shot 50 percent from the floor while holding EKU to just 31 percent.
Eastern Kentucky finished the regular season 21-10, winning their quarterfinal against Lipscomb on Saturday. The Colonels scored 99 points, 20 of which came from Antwainette Walker, one of four Colonels to score in double-figures. Walker had ten rebounds to go along with her scoring, dominating the defensive glass and holding the Bisons to four second chance points.
Walker was joined in double-figures by Alice Recanati (16 pts), Ivy Turner (14 pts) and Althea Angeles (13 pts). The Colonels shot 55.4 percent from the floor, hitting 9 of their 19 attempts from three.
Tuesday's game sets up the potential for one of these teams to host an ASUN Championship Final on Saturday. With FGCU hosting Austin Peay, if the Eagles were to lose, the highest remaining seed would come from the Sugar Bears/Colonels game, and that team would host. If the Eagles win, the winner of this game would go to Fort Myers.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online. Fans can also catch the action on The Bear 91.3, with Steve Owens on the call.
