CONWAY, Ark. – One more game. One game away from the Big Dance. But a tough challenge ahead. The Central Arkansas women's basketball team seeks its first NCAA Tournament since 2017 as it plays in the ASUN Championship Final against Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday. Tip-off against the Eagles is set for 6 p.m. CT in Fort Myers, Fla.
 
The Sugar Bears (21-10) earned their way to their first ASUN Championship game after defeating Eastern Kentucky 68-57 on Tuesday. Jade Upshaw and Leah Mafua carried the team early, each finishing with 14 points, and Kinley Fisher led the charge late, netting 17 points off the bench, ten of which came in the fourth quarter.
 
Central Arkansas clamped down defensively against the Colonels, ending their run to an ASUN title after allowing 57 points on 33 percent shooting. In the team's quarterfinal, EKU scored 99 points against Lipscomb, suffering a 42 percent decrease from the previous outing. With four steals and four blocks, the Sugar Bears held the Colonels to three quarters shooting under 40 percent.
 
Last time the Sugar Bears won a conference title, in 2017, the team only had to win two games to earn the Southlands automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. That postseason featured a couple of defensive routs, as the Sugar Bears held TA&M-CC to 44 points before suffocating the SFA Lumberjacks, allowing just 35 points to punch their ticket.
 
FGCU goes into Saturday's championship game with a 28-4 record. After narrowly escaping Jacksonville in the quarterfinals, the Eagles had no problems with Austin Peay in the semis, running away in the second half. And the Governors did exactly what a team would like to do, get the ball out of ASUN Player of the Year Emani Jefferson's hands. But 11-of-29 from three and a host of other players contributing allowed the Eagles to coast to a 13^th consecutive championship game.
 
The Eagles relied on the scoring of Uju Ezeudu (18 points) and Dolly Cairns (16 points) against Austin Peay, and got nine steals from the pair as well. Saturday's game marks the fourth meeting between the Eagles and Sugar Bears, and the first in the ASUN's postseason.
 
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. in Fort Myers, and will be streamed on ESPN+. The game will also have live stats available, and fans can follow along on The Bear 91.3, with Steve Owens on the call.