CONWAY, Ark. – The Sugar Bears are BACK! The 2025-26 season tips off on Monday, with the Central Arkansas women's basketball team heading up to Columbia, Missouri to take on the Missouri Tigers. Tip-off against the SEC foe is set for 6:30 p.m.
The Sugar Bears have a host of new players this year, but bring back a couple of key pieces from last season. ASUN Defensive Player of the Year
Bree Stephens makes her highly anticipated return to the squad, bringing back a defensive playmaker that ranked tenth in the nation in blocks last season. Also returning is bench scorer
Cheyanne Kemp. With six games of double-digit scoring last year, Kemp will look to have an increased role on the ball this season with the departure of the team's top-four scorers from last season. Sophomore
Jenna Cook will also see an increase in touches this season, after a successful freshman season. The Cabot native had two games of double-digit scoring last year, and connected on 16 three-pointers on 34 percent shooting.
Meanwhile, the new players have a good balance of experience and youth, with five transfers and four freshmen. Among the transfers are UT Martin graduate transfer
Shae Littleford. An All-OVC caliber player with nearly 1,000 points in her collegiate career, Littleford chose the Sugar Bears to close her career, and brings an electric shooting ability to the squad. Also transferring to Central Arkansas are
Paris Santacaterina (San Diego),
Julianna Gibson (Saint Francis) and
Linda Amaning (Saint Peters). The trio brings additional experience across Division I programs, adding length and athleticism in the post, and another shooter and ballhandler in Santacaterina. Making the jump from Three Rivers College,
Laylah Reese adds another versatile player that can step in and play multiple positions.
Of the four freshmen, three ae from Conway High School.
Emerie Bohanon is a 1,000 point scorer in high school, earning a number of postseason honors along the way.
Alexis Cox is a three-time all-conference and two-time all-state guard, she brings a versatile scoring ability with three-level range. Her sister, Alivia, brings a unique athletic ability that comes from letting in multiple sports in high school, which will allow her to impact both sides of the ball. The fourth freshman comes from outside the States;
Carla Ramirez, who joins the Sugar Bears from Spain, adds another long, athletic guard that can handle the ball and defend multiple positions.
Missouri starts a new era of is own, with head coach Kellie Harper beginning her tenure in CoMo. The Tigers, like the Sugar Bears, have few returners, but one such player is a Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Watchlist member Grace Slaughter, who averaged 15.0 points per game last season. Mizzou added eight transfers over the offseason, bringing in a fresh wave of collegiate experience that will have to mesh together over the new season. Mizzou is 41-10 in season openers, and 43-8 in home openers, and begins its 52
nd season at home on Monday.
Tip-off against the Tigers is set for 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on SECN+, with live stats available online. Sugar Bear fans can also follow along on the radio, listening to 91.3 The Bear with Steve Owens on the call.
