FORT MYERS, Fla. – Facing a terrific opportunity early in ASUN play, the Central Arkansas women's basketball team had one of its coldest shooting days against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, falling 64-51 Saturday afternoon.
 
The Sugar Bears moved to 8-6 overall and 1-1 in league play. Cheyanne Kemp and Bree Stephens led the way with 12 points each, with Kemp leading the offense in the first half and Stephens scoring the bulk of her points in the second half. Shae Littleford added ten for her 12^th game in double-figures this season, but Central Arkansas shot only 26 percent from the floor. The defense forced 18 turnovers, scoring 21 points off of Eagle miscues.
 
Kemp kept Central Arkansas alive in a relatively low-scoring first quarter, scoring eight of the ten Sugar Bear points in the opening stanza. The Morrilton native connected on a pair of three-pointers and stuck both shots on a trip to the free throw line, providing the Sugar Bears with enough offense to stay in the game when nobody else could hit a shot. After one, the Eagles led 15-10.
 
The Eagles started to pull away as the second quarter went on, due in part to the continued offensive struggles from the Sugar Bears. Linda Amaning opened the frame with an offensive rebound and putback, cutting the lead to three, but FGCU was able to hit enough shots to build the lead back up to multiple possessions, then stretch the lead closer to ten by the midway point of the quarter. Despite solid defense at times, the inability to find a consistent scorer prevented Central Arkansas from staying close, and the Sugar Bears trialed by 11 at the half.
 
Forced to ramp up the pressure in the second half, Central Arkansas started full court pressing at times during the third and fourth quarters. And while this did create turnovers by the Eagles, and some easy scores for the Sugar Bears, when the Eagles were able to break the press, the home team was able to match scores, and edging the Sugar Bears out at the free throw line allowed FGCU to hold onto the lead. Over the final 20 minutes of game time, Central Arkansas forced 11 turnovers, resulting in 19 points for the Sugar Bears.
 
Central Arkansas will turn a new leaf next week, playing at home for the first time in over a month. The Sugar Bears will host Bellarmine next Thursday at 6:30 p.m., then follow it up with a matchup against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at 1 p.m.