Sugar Bears fall in first round of WNIT to Billikens

CONWAY, Ark. — Despite a valiant second-half comeback in the first round of the WNIT, Central Arkansas couldn’t quite get over the hump against Saint Louis on Thursday night at the Farris Center.

The Sugar Bears fell 66-61, ending their season against the Billikens. The loss ended the Sugar Bear season with a 21-12 record after hosting a national postseason tournament game for the third year in program history. Jade Upshaw finished with 17 points, with Leah Mafua also contributing double-figures with 12. Mafua, along with Bree Stephens, combined for eight blocked shots, with the New Zealander rejecting five and the Australian blocking three.

“I’m really proud of what this group accomplished. I’m super proud of the fan support, what a great atmosphere, we’re so appreciative of them coming back. We talked about this, these players are an exciting group to watch,” coach Tony Kemper said postgame. “We got in some tough spots tonight, and we talked about battling back, and I was very proud of the fact that we got it back tied. Sometimes, that ball bounces around and in for you, sometimes it goes in for them.”

UCA Bears coach Tony Kemper on the sidelines in a WNIT game against the St. Louis Billikens at the Farris Center on March 21, 2024.
Ted McClenning / allBEARS+ Images

Play was tightly contested and extremely back and forth for the majority of the first half, with the lead never getting above four in the first quarter. The Sugar Bears, in particular, relied on balanced scoring in the opening frame, with six players scoring once to get the home team to 12 points. Defensively, Central Arkansas was playing exactly like they wanted to, forcing tough shots from Saint Louis and holding the Billikens to 11 points. The Sugar Bears were also dominant inside early on, scoring ten points in the paint.

As the teams rolled into the second quarter, the Sugar Bears were able to build an eight-point lead thanks to three-straight threes from Upshaw. The junior guard was automatic from deep during the run, even turning away from the third one before the ball even made it to the rim. Upshaw’s personal run was 13-straight for the Sugar Bears, on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor and 3-for-3 from distance, and she led all scorers in the first half with her spurt. But the Billikens weren’t going anywhere, cutting the lead back down to two before the halftime buzzer.

Saint Louis got going out of the halftime break, tying the game on three different possessions before claiming their first lead of the second half a couple minutes in. After a split pair of free throws by the Sugar Bears tied it at 35 apiece, the Billikens took the lead again and raced out to an eight-point lead, matching the largest lead of the game.

UCA Bears’ Bree Stephens drives for a layup in a WNIT game against the St. Louis Billikens at the Farris Center on March 21, 2024.
Ted McClenning / allBEARS+ Images

The Sugar Bears stymied the visitors from building it any higher, but couldn’t cut into it before the end of the frame. Elizabeth Abiara was huge in the third, scoring six points on three shots, two of which were on offensive rebounds. Her presence inside kept the Billikens from attacking the paint too much, but good shooting from elsewhere on the floor allowed Saint Louis to claim the lead.

The lead touched ten twice, both in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, but then the Sugar Bears got to work. Trailing by double-figures, Central Arkansas put a 6-0 run together to cut it to four, then a quick 4-2 spurt had the lead at two. Leah Mafua hit a three down four to slice the lead back to one, and a free throw with 50 seconds left tied the game. But tied at 61, the Billikens were able to wrestle control of the game away, scoring the final five points to pull away at the end.

“I’m happy we played in that game, in this building, hopefully it fuels the future, and we go from where we are now, and improve for coming back next year,” Kemper added.