CONWAY, Ark. – Back on the road for five of the next six, the Central Arkansas women's basketball team starts with a roadtrip to the Volunteer State, playing Lipscomb on Thursday and Austin Peay on Saturday. Tip-off in Nashville is set for 6 p.m., and Saturday's game in Clarksville is set for 2 p.m.
The Sugar Bears (11-6, 5-1 ASUN) have found a groove, winning each of the last four games, three of which were at home. Central Arkansas has been finding different ways to earn wins as well, between two high-powered offensive wins against Lipscomb and Stetson at home, paired with two defensive slugfests against Queens and North Florida. Last time out,
Jade Upshaw and
Leah Mafua combined for 39 against the Hatters, and every other Sugar Bear contributed offensively.
Bree Stephens set a new Division I mark for blocks in a single season, adding five on Saturday to reach 48 for the season. She has four or more blocks in all but one ASUN game this season, and five or more blocks in five games this season. Her 28 blocks in ASUN games are more than any other ASUN team, with EKU recording 25 blocks in six conference games. Stephens also ranks fourth in the nation in blocks per game, with 2.82 rejections per contest.
Central Arkansas last played Lipscomb on January 8
th, just a couple of weeks ago in the Farris Center. In a game between two of the highest-powered offenses in the league, it was Central Arkansas who came out on top 86-75, thanks to 16 three pointers. It marked the most threes hit against a Division I opponent at the time, and saw Upshaw go off for 31 points. It also started a streak of double-digit rebound games for
Elizabeth Abiara, who pulled down 12 or more rebounds in three-straight games. The sophomore is averaging 6.4 points and 7.4 rebounds, both marked improvements from her freshman season.
Lipscomb (12-6, 5-1 ASUN) has also been playing well through the first six ASUN games. The Bisons have scored 75 or more in all six games, with 80 or more in the last three, all wins. Most recently, Lipscomb won a road game at Queens, controlling the first three quarters to pick up an 87-73 win. Claira McGowan led all scorers with 25 points, one of four Bisons in double-figures.
McGowan, who scores 13.9 points per game, leads a Lipscomb offense that scores 76.4 points per game, the top number in the ASUN. The Bisons also lead the conference in made three-pointers, hitting just over ten per game. McGowan, with 33 treys, is one of six Bisons with double-figure threes, and one of four with 25 or more.
Austin Peay (9-8, 4-2 ASUN) is hanging around the top of the conference standings, currently tied for fourth behind the Sugar Bears and Bisons. Last week, the Govs defeated EKU in overtime before falling to Jacksonville on Saturday, dropping a narrow 65-61 loss. La'Nya Foster and Sa'Mya Wyatt each put up 17 points, but a tough fourth quarter that saw the Govs outscored 31-13 turned a 14-point lead to start the frame turn into a four-point loss.
The pair of Wyatt and Foster are the two leading scorers for Austin Peay, averaging 13.5 and 11.2 points per game, respectively. And while Wyat leads the team in scoring on an impressive 58.7 percent from the floor, Foster leads the team in every other major category, with 7.1 rebounds per game, 45 assists, 34 steals and 27 blocks.
Tip-off against Lipscomb is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, and game time against Austin Peay on Saturday is at 2 p.m. Both games will be steamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online. Sugar Bear fans can also keep up with both games at 91.3 The Bear, with Steve Owens on the call.
