CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas women's basketball plays what is perhaps its most important regular season game since joining the ASUN on Thursday. Facing Florida Gulf Coast, the Sugar Bears play for a real chance at the No. 1 seed in the ASUN Championship in a couple weeks, a chance that happens rarely in this league. Tip-off against the Eagles is set for 6:30 p.m.
The Sugar Bears (19-6, 13-1 ASUN) put a couple of the conference's great winning streaks on the line as well, having won 23-straight home regular season games and a 12-game winning streak that is currently intact. The streaks were extended last time out with a 77-67 win over Austin Peay, a game in which Central Arkansas took over in the second half, using a balanced scoring attack to overtake the Governors.
Leah Mafua led the team with 18 points,
Kinley Fisher added 14, and
Jade Upshaw,
Bree Stephens and
Elizabeth Abiara scored 12.
Randrea Wright added nine off the bench, helping Central Arkansas shoot an even 50 percent from the floor. The Sugar Bears also continued to press inside, scoring 42 points in the paint and earning 22 free throws.
Central Arkansas last played FGCU in the ASUN Championship Final a season ago, and although the game didn't go the Sugar Bears' way, Central Arkansas proved that this group would be a force to be reckoned with. With nearly 90 percent of the team's production back for the first rematch since then, the Sugar Bears are raring to go.
FGCU (23-3, 14-0 ASUN) hold another one of the ASUN's greatest streaks, having not lost a conference game since 2022. The Eagles, after an uncharacteristic 0-2 start, have picked up right where they left off last year, winning 23 of the next 24. In ASUN games, FGCU is winning by an average of 22 points per game, the largest margin in the ASUN.
The Eagles are led this season by Amani Jefferson, last year's ASUN Player of the Year. The only Eagle averaging double-figure scoring on the year, she also leads the team with 91 assists, and has 5.8 rebounds per game to go along with 40 steals. She leads a defense that ranks fifth in the nation in points allowed per game, giving up just 52.4 points per contest. The strength of the Eagle defense is their ability to force turnovers, with 266 steals and 470 turnovers forced this season. Nine players have logged more than ten steals this season, and four players have more than a steal per game.
Tip-off against the Eagles is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Farris Center. Fans are encouraged to attend, and can buy general admission tickets for $1 using the code SugarBears1, and hot dogs sold at the game will be $2. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online. As always, fans can also follow the game at 91.3 The Bear, with Steve Owens on the call.
