CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Central Arkansas women's basketball team responded to a couple of tough results with a resounding defensive effort, allowing just 39 points as the Sugar Bears defeated Queens 64-39.
The Sugar Bears (12-10, 5-5 ASUN) got a career night from
Cheyanne Kemp, who led all scorers with a career-high 26 points, adding ten rebounds for her first-career double-double. The junior guard lived in the paint, scoring more than half of her points at the rim.
Shae Littleford added 15 points of her own, and the defense held Queens to 28 percent shooting, and never allowed more than 11 points in any quarter.
The Sugar Bears got right to work, scoring the game's first eight points, and 11 of the first 15. The first quarter saw five Sugar Bears score in the frame, while the Royals hit just one of their first 11 field goals. While four free throws kept the Royals on the board,
Bree Stephens hit a three at the buzzer to put Central Arkansas up eight.
Queens tried to stay close as the second quarter started, but Kemp found a mismatch and went to it time after time. She scored five of the first seven shots for the Sugar Bears, as the visitors pushed the lead to double-figures.
Emerie Bohanon came in late in the second to get a defensive stop, and forced a jump ball to force another Royals turnover with just seconds left on the clock. Her turnover sent the teams into the locker room separated by 12 points. Kemp led all scorers at the break with 12 points.
Central Arkansas scored the first eight points of the second half to push the lead to 20, jumping out over the Royals to get the third quarter started. Queens fought to get the lead back down to 15, but that would be as close as the Royals would get in the frame.
Paris Santacaterina and Littleford hit a pair of threes to match Queens 6-6 over the final minutes of the quarter, and Central Arkansas led by 15 going into the fourth.
Kemp and Littleford scored the first ten points for Central Arkansas in the fourth quarter, pushing the lead back out to 20 points by the five-minute mark of the quarter. An 8-0 run pushed the margin to 26 points, as
Jenna Cook hit a couple of big-time buckets to put the finishing touches on an ASUN win.
The Sugar Bears extend their winning streak over Queens, claiming a fifth-straight win over the Royals.
Central Arkansas is back at home for the next two games, starting with Lipscomb on Saturday at 1 p.m., before facing North Alabama on Monday in a makeup game from the winter weather.
