CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas women's basketball team plays its third game in six days on Monday, hosting North Alabama in a game that was rescheduled due to winter weather in the Conway area a couple of weeks ago. Tip-off against the Lions is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Farris Center.
The Sugar Bears (13-10, 6-5 ASUN) picked up a sixth win at home on Saturday, jumping all over Lipscomb en route to a 60-47 victory. Central Arkansas forced 35 turnovers, of which 24 were live-ball steals, coming away with a program record against a Division I opponent.
Shae Littleford had seven steals,
Cheyanne Kemp had six, and
Laylah Reese had five, tallying 18 of the teams steals in the win. And while the offense wasn't on fire, the sheer number of extra possessions made it almost impossible for Central Arkansas to not outscore the Bisons.
With just seven games left in the season, Central Arkansas is in the middle of a slugfest of ASUN standings. At 6-5, Central Arkansas is currently in the seven seed, albeit a half game behind because of the rescheduled game against North Alabama. Even so, all but one team above the Sugar Bears have four or five losses, meaning a two-game swing could vault a team from the middle of the pack to right there at the top.
Central Arkansas has largely controlled the series against the Lions over the last three seasons. The Sugar Bears swept three games, including an ASUN Championship quarterfinal, in 2023-24, then split the home games last season, dominating the Lions in Conway before falling in the last game of the regular season with the No. 2 seed already locked up.
North Alabama enters the week with a 12-10 record, and 7-4 in ASUN games. The Lions are on a bit of a run right now, winners of three-straight, including a road game at Queens on Saturday. After five-straight games decided by five or fewer points, the 16-point win over the Royals was a sight for sore eyes for the Lions. Alexsandra Alvarado led the way with 23 points, and India Howard added 18 off the bench.
Alvarado has been the key driver of the North Alabama offense this season, averaging a team-high 13.5 points per game. She leads the team in field goals (100), three-pointers (43) and free throws (55), and also leads her squad with 68 assists and 34 steals. Her numbers are even better in ASUN games, and the senior guard averages 16.2 points per game since the start of conference play.
Tip-off against the Lions is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Farris Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online. Fans can also follow the action on The Bear 91.3, with Steve Owens on the call.
