CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas women's basketball team gets set to open its 2025-26 ASUN Championship run, starting in the quarterfinals against North Alabama on Thursday. The No. 3 seed Sugar Bears and No. 6 seed Lions tip off for the third time this season, and will open play at 6:30 p.m. in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Sugar Bears (20-10, 13-5 ASUN) head into postseason on a nine-game winning streak, having closed out the season with a run of allowing less than 60 points in all but one game. Central Arkansas hosted Queens for Senior Day, and sunk the Royals with a 65-47 win.
Shae Littleford,
Bree Stephens and
Julianna Gibson played their last regular season game in the Farris Center, cementing a 9-3 home record that adds to the legacy of the Farris Center. In the three years that
Tony Kemper has been head coach, the Sugar Bears have posted a 37-6 record at home.
Central Arkansas gets ready for the ASUN Championship, a tournament that has seen the Sugar Bears reach back-to-back Finals. Now at a neutral site in Jacksonville, the Sugar Bears are poised to make another run, starting with North Alabama. Central Arkansas and North Alabama played twice this season, with the Sugar Bears winning both halves of the home-and-home. The Lions were victims twice during the winning streak, losing the game in Conway 59-48, and the game in Florence 62-55.
Cheyanne Kemp averaged 14.5 points over the two games, including a game-high 16 points in Conway.
Postseason games usually have gone the same way this winning streak has gone; over the last two years, the Sugar Bears have allowed 70 points just once, in a Final against FGCU. Outside of ASUN Championship Finals, Central Arkansas hasn't allowed more than 65 points in any game over the last two years, including a game against North Alabama two years ago.
North Alabama (17-13, 11-7 ASUN) won in quadruple overtime on its senior day, defeating West Georgia 118-107 to earn the league's sixth seed, then won 57-55 over Queens to advance to the quarterfinals. India Howard led the team in the opening round of the ASUN Championship, scoring 18 points and pulling in 11 rebounds to help the Lions reach the quarterfinals.
Tip-off against the Lions is set for 6:30 p.m. CT in Jacksonville. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online. Fans can also keep up with the action on The Bear 91.3, with Steve Owens on the call.
