COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Central Arkansas women's basketball team nearly pulled off an SEC upset to open the season, narrowly dropping a 78-71 final at Missouri on Monday.
In a game that saw seven players don the Purple and Gray for the first time, the Sugar Bears had a chance to earn their first Power 4 upset since 2017, but a few bounces here and there allowed the Tigers to survive the scare.
Shae Littleford led the way with 17 points,
Cheyanne Kemp added 12,
Bree Stephens had 11, and
Jenna Cook put up ten points.
Paris Santacaterina dropped the first score for Central Arkansas, making a dash to the cup early in the first to log he first basket of the season. Kemp hit a three on the next possession to give Central Arkansas a 5-4 lead, and as the first quarter went on, the Sugar Bears went score for score with the Tigers. A jumper by Cook gave Central Arkansas a two-point lead, and freshman
Emerie Bohanon hit one with 31 seconds left in the frame to keep it, but Mizzou found a score as the clock neared zeroes, and the first quarter ended tied 18-18.
The Sugar Bears continued to go toe-to-toe with the SEC Tigers, but finally, as the quarter neared the midway point, the home team was able to build a five-point lead, starting the game-long process of pulling away. Central Arkansas answered with back-to-back scores, but Mizzou was able to battle it back up to five, and the score alternated between a one- and two-score possession. Stephens and Cook combined for a 4-0 run to end the quarter, and the deficit was just one going into halftime
Kemp led all scorers at the midway point of the game with nine points. Santacaterina had eight, and the biggest difference between the teams was at the foul line, where the Tigers were given 15 attempts compared to zero for the Sugar Bears.
Littleford opened the second half with a three-ball, giving Central Arkansas a two-point advantage. It was the first of six-straight possessions that saw the lead change hands, and it wasn't until the seven-minute mark that Mizzou was able to get back in front by multiple possessions. Central Arkansas battled it back down to two, but consecutive scores gave the Tigers a little cushion that would hold through the rest of the quarter, but it was still just a five-point game after three quarters.
Back-to-back threes early in the fourth quarter brought the Sugar Bears back within one, but free throws continue to keep the Tigers afloat. Hope seemed to be fading at the halfway point of the quarter, when the Tigers built the lead to nine, but a layup by
Linda Amaning, a three from Bohanan, and a pair of free throws by Littleford cut the lead to three. A pair of free throws with under two minutes to go tied the game at 71-71, but Mizzou was able to pull together for a 7-0 run down the stretch to pull away.
The Sugar Bears made more shots than the Tigers, making eight more field goals (28-20) than Mizzou, as well as three more threes (8-5). Central Arkansas committed just seven turnovers, compared to 13 by the Tigers, and outscored a much bigger team in the paint (32-28). The only clear advantage the Tigers got all night was at the charity stripe, where Mizzou was given 45 free throws against just 12 by the Sugar Bears.
Central Arkansas will take this experience and head home for the next one, playing its home-opener Lyon College on Friday. Tip-off against the Scots is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Farris Center.
