LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After leading for three quarters, a tough fourth turned the tide against the Bellarmine Knights, leaving the Sugar Bears on the wrong side of a 68-60 final in Louisville.
Central Arkansas slid to 7-6 on the season after splitting the opening weekend of ASUN play, and is now 2-4 on the road.
Jade Upshaw (12 pts) and
Leah Mafua (11 pts) reached double-figures, but for much of the game, offense was hard to come by.
Bree Stephens filled up the box score, posting eight points, 13 rebounds, seven blocks and four assists. Her seven blocks were the second-most by a single player in Central Arkansas's Division I history, and makes 13 blocks for the senior in the last two games.
Central Arkansas got off to a strong defensive effort, holding Bellarmine to just 15 percent shooting in the first quarter. Stephens, in particular, picked up right where she left off on Thursday, blocking three shots in the first frame. The Bellarmine offense continually attacked the basket, and Stephens met them at the summit time and time again. On the other side, Central Arkansas hit shots from the efficient spots on the court, using paint touches and three-pointers to build a six-point lead after one. Bellarmine was held to just eight points, the 11
th time this season a Sugar Bear opponent has scored less than ten points in a quarter.
The second quarter was more tightly contested. Bellarmine slowly chipped away at the lead, narrowing it to one by the midway point. Central Arkansas hit a couple of shots to steady the run, but the Knights eventually took the lead with a little less than three minutes in the half. But a 7-0 run by the Sugar Bears recaptured the lead before the break, capped by an offensive rebound and stick-back by
Elizabeth Abiara just before the buzzer.
Similar to the second, the third quarter was a battle, with neither side able to score more than five points in a row at any point during the frame. Momentum swung more based on defensive possessions than offense; Central Arkansas started the third forcing a shot clock violation, but came down and missed the subsequent shot. Another Bellarmine turnover on the next possession, another stop by the Knights on the other side. Both sides answered score for score and stop for stop. The Sugar Bears had their 5-0 run late in the quarter, extending the lead to eight with 75 seconds left in the third, but free throws at the end by Bellarmine had the lead at just six heading to the fourth.
Bellarmine added an 13-0 run to start the fourth to flip the game, turning a six-point Sugar Bear lead into a seven-point deficit just a few minutes in. Central Arkansas cut the lead back to four with a three-point play, but Bellarmine started hitting shots from all over, despite tough defensive pressure from the Sugar Bears. After shooting 26 percent from the floor and 30 percent from three through three quarters, the Knights were able to shoot 50 percent from the field and 62 percent from three in the fourth, pulling away late on their home floor.
The Sugar Bears will be back in the Farris Center for their next outing, facing Lipscomb at home for another ASUN clash. Tip-off against the Bisons is set for 6:30 p.m.
