Sugar Bears drop ASUN battle with Eastern Kentucky at home

CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas walked into Saturday afternoon at the Farris Center knowing ASUN games don’t come with style points. You win them by surviving.

The Sugar Bears didn’t quite manage that part.

UCA fell 64-54 to Eastern Kentucky, a game that swung hard in one rough stretch and never fully swung back. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t flashy.

It was the kind of conference loss that lingers because it felt fixable.

The Sugar Bears actually looked comfortable early. The ball moved, shots dropped, and the Bears jumped out to a quick lead that had the building engaged.

For a few minutes, the afternoon looked like it might unfold on UCA’s terms.

Then the second quarter arrived and took the steering wheel.

Eastern Kentucky ripped off a 12-2 run, and suddenly the Sugar Bears couldn’t buy a bucket. Open looks stayed open. Close looks didn’t fall either.

By the time UCA finally connected on its first field goal of the quarter with just over three minutes left, the Colonels were already in control.

By halftime, the Sugar Bears trailed 39-26. It wasn’t a knockout punch, but it was enough separation to turn the rest of the game into a long uphill walk.

UCA Sugar Bears coach Tony Kemper on the sidelines against Eastern Kentucky in a game at the Farris Center in Conway, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allBEARS+ Images

Second quarter flips the game

The numbers told the same story Kemper did. The Bears shot just 32 percent from the field and struggled even more from three-point range, finishing at 16 percent.

In a league where margins are thin, that kind of shooting usually comes with consequences.

Eastern Kentucky didn’t overwhelm UCA with size or pace. The Colonels simply made shots during the stretch that mattered most.

When the Sugar Bears couldn’t answer, the gap stuck.

To UCA’s credit, the effort didn’t fade. The defense stayed active. Rebounding stayed competitive. The problem was that every small run came with a matching response from Eastern Kentucky.

Cheyanne Kemp led the Bears with 13 points, working through traffic and contact to keep the Sugar Bears within shouting distance.

Paris Santacaterina added eight points, including a pair of three-pointers that briefly trimmed the margin and hinted at a comeback.

Those moments just never stacked.

Each time the UCA nudged closer, Eastern Kentucky answered with a timely basket or free throws. It wasn’t dramatic basketball. It was efficient basketball, and that was enough.

UCA Sugar Bears Linda Amaning drives the lane against Eastern Kentucky in a game at the Farris Center in Conway, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allBEARS+ Images

Cold shooting leaves little margin

UCA did some things well. The Sugar Bears forced turnovers. They competed on the glass. They avoided the kind of late-game collapse that sometimes follows a bad shooting day.

What the Sugar Bears couldn’t do was erase the damage from that second quarter. Eastern Kentucky finished with a slight rebounding edge and made better use of its possessions. That difference showed up clearly on the scoreboard.

The 64-54 final didn’t reflect panic or disarray. It reflected a single quarter where shots didn’t fall and momentum slipped away.

For the Sugar Bears, the loss moves UCA to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in ASUN play. That’s not alarming territory, but it does remove some margin as conference games pile up.

Next comes a road swing through Florida with games at Jacksonville and North Florida. Those trips rarely come easy, and they usually punish teams that don’t shoot well.

The Sugar Bears don’t have the luxury of sitting with this one. ASUN play moves fast, and confidence can shift just as quickly as momentum did in that second quarter.

UCA showed it can compete. Now they have to show they can finish.

Three key takeaways

• A decisive second quarter swung the game and left UCA chasing for the final 20 minutes.
• Shooting struggles, especially from three-point range, limited the Bears’ offensive ceiling.
• The Bears stayed competitive, but upcoming road games will demand cleaner execution.