CONWAY, Ark. – Postseason at home! The Central Arkansas women's basketball team hosts the second round of the WNIT on Monday after being granted a first round bye, hosting a national postseason game for the second-straight season. Facing off against former Southland foe Abilene Christian, the Sugar Bears will go to battle at 6:30 p.m. in the Farris Center.
 
The Sugar Bears (23-9, 15-3 ASUN) reached a second-straight ASUN Championship Final this season, after winning both home ASUN Championship games. Central Arkansas defeated Bellarmine and Lipscomb in the Farris Center before falling in the finals to FGCU. And despite the loss, a number of Sugar Bears stepped up against the Eagles. Leah Mafua led the team with 17 points, Jade Upshaw added 15, and Cheyanne Kemp put in ten off the bench. Cheyenne Banks also made an impact off the bench, playing 23 minutes and pulling down nine rebounds, helping limit FGCU to just five second chance points.
 
Playing at home will be a major bonus for the Sugar Bears, who are 14-1 at the Farris Center this season, and 28-2 since Tony Kemper returned to the program as head coach. This season, Central Arkansas has outscored its opponents by an average of 20 points per game at home, controlling games with defense and rebounding. While the Sugar Bears have shooting splits of 48/40/66, those that travel to the Farris Center only shoot 36/31/65, creating a huge advantage for the home team. And when those shots don't go in, the Sugar Bears pull in nearly 75 percent of opponent misses, limiting second chance opportunities and creating fast break chances on the other end.
 
Central Arkansas and Abilene Christian are familiar foes from the Southland Conference days, though neither team remains in the SLC. The teams have faced off 15 times, with the Wildcats holding a slight 8-7 margin. The last time the teams played one another was the final season of SLC play, with Central Arkansas claiming the most recent matchup 55-53.
 
Abilene Christian enters the week 21-12, having gone 9-7 in WAC play and going one and done in the WAC Tournament, falling to Utah Valley. But the resume, which featured 20 wins for the first time since 2019-20, gave the Wildcats a spot in the WNIT. They opened their postseason hosting Northwestern State last Thursday, defeating the Lady Demons 86-59, scoring at least 40 in both halves. Erin Woodson led the team with 21 points off the bench, one of four Wildcats to score in double-figures.
 
The Wildcats have been led by Payton Hull's 18.2 points per game. Although she missed a dozen games this season, she still finished the year second on the team in total points, along with 45 three-pointers and 67 free throws. She is one of four players on Abilene Christian to average double-figure scoring. ACU had two players named to All-WAC teams, in Bella Earle (1^st Team All WAC, All-Defensive Team) and Meredith Mayes (2^nd Team All-WAC). Earle ranked in the top ten in the WAC in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, while Mayes averaged 11.0 points and 7.2 rebounds on 59 percent shooting this season.
 
Tip-off on Monday is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Farris Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online. As always, fans can also follow along on The Bear 91.3, with Steve Owens on the call.