RICHMOND, Ky. – The Central Arkansas women's basketball team avenged one of its ASUN home losses Thursday night, going into Eastern Kentucky University and handing the undefeated Colonels their first ASUN loss this season. The 60-48 final marked the fourth-straight game that the Sugar Bears held an opponent under 50 points.
The win improved the Sugar Bears to 15-10 overall and 8-5 in ASUN games. The Sugar Bears are now in a tie for third place in the conference standings, now just one game back of second place.
Shae Littleford led the team with 18 points,
Cheyanne Kemp added 14, and
Bree Stephens had a DPOY kind of night, logging five points, six rebounds and a season-high six blocks.
Littleford opened the scoring with a shot at the rim, and EKU split a pair of free throws to get both teams on the board. But Central Arkansas stayed pretty well clamped down defensively, slowly but steadily building the lead. A 9-0 run split the lead from one to ten, capped by a
Laylah Reese three, and the defense was looking as stout on the road as in the Farris Center. EKU went on a 5-2 run to get the lead back down to eight, and the Sugar Bears held the ASUN leading Colonels to 25 percent shooting with five turnovers in the opening period.
The second quarter was more of the same for Central Arkansas, starting on an 8-0 run to run the lead up to 15 points. EKU finally broke ten points and scored for the first time in the second quarter with under six minutes to go in the period. Stephens answered with a three-pointer to add to the lead, and Littleford made one a few possessions later, and the lead was 17 points with under four to go in the first half. But Central Arkansas wasn't done. Littleford's three was the start of another 8-0 run by the Sugar Bears that broke the lead to 22 points, nearly tripling the home team's score. EKU closed the gap with a pair of scores before the break, but the lead was still 18 after the first half.
EKU opened on a small burst to open the second half, cutting the margin to 12, and then down to 11 by the midway point. Another pair at the line got the lead down to nine, but
Jenna Cook hit a big-time three-pointer to get the lead back up over ten, and the Sugar Bears climbed back up to 14 points on a paint score by
Linda Amaning.
As the fourth quarter started, Central Arkansas split a pair at the line to get back up 15 points. Despite EKU trying to close the gap, every push was answered.
Paris Santacaterina hit a corner three to keep the lead at 14, Cook hit a long three behind a screen to keep it the same, and her shot with just under seven minutes really put a damper on the EKU lineup. Central Arkansas continued to match shot for shot, and it took back-to-back scores late in the game to cut the lead to 12, but it was too little, too late.
Central Arkansas is back on the court on Saturday, facing Bellarmine in an ASUN game. Tip-off against the Knights is set for 1 p.m. CT in Louisville.
