Sugar Bears
After slow start, Sugar Bears pull away for easy win over Samford
In front of loud group of elementary school students, Leah Mafua, Jade Upshaw, Kinley Fisher pace UCA win
CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas made it look easy at the end of a 63-44 win over Samford on Friday morning.
It wasn’t that easy at the start. The Sugar bears had to pull of an 11-point comeback to put the Bulldogs away., but Friday morning saw the Sugar Bears pull off an 11-point comeback against Samford.
Behind the support of 1,036 loud elementary school students and fans, the Sugar Bears improved to 2-0 on the season. Leah Mafua led the way with 17 points, and Jade Upshaw and Kinley Fisher both added 11.
UCA didn’t fly out of the gates against the Bulldogs, falling behind quickly to an 8-2 run. After battling back to a single possession deficit, Samford was able to stay ahead, leading by five after the first quarter. The Sugar Bears shot just 33 percent and committed seven turnovers in the first, giving way to the visitors to score 11 points off of those turnovers.
The second quarter continued to show struggles for the home team, as the Sugar Bears continued to have a tough time scoring the ball. Samford was able to capitalize, outscoring UCA by six to take an 11-point lead into the halftime break. The Sugar Bears shot 32 percent in the first half, making just one three-pointer and committing 11 turnovers.
After settling down during the halftime break, UCA found a groove and pounced on the Bulldogs. Behind seven points from each of Upshaw and Mafua, the Sugar Bears broke out for an 18-0 run to open the third quarter, turning an 11-point deficit into a seven-point lead.
By the end of the quarter, the Sugar Bears had flipped the script with a 20-point turnaround, holding Samford to just four points as the lead grew to nine by the end of the third. Most notably during the run, UCA committed zero turnovers in the frame, and shot 71 percent from the floor, breaking the game open and taking back all of the momentum.
The fourth quarter was more of the same, as great defensive energy became contagious on the offensive side of the ball. The Sugar Bears held Samford to 23 percent shooting in the fourth, allowing just eight points in the frame.
On offense, a constant attack of the basket yielded nine free throws in the quarter, keeping the Bulldog defense on its heels and extending the lead to 19 points. Fisher scored nine of her 11 in the quarter, burying six free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
After halftime, the Sugar Bears shot 58 percent from the field, committed just five turnovers while forcing 10 from Samford, and dominated the paint, outscoring the Bulldogs 16-4 inside the lane.
Meanwhile, Samford shot just 16 percent in the second half, scoring just 12 points in the final 20 minutes. Friday marked the second-straight game that the Sugar Bears held an opponent under 50 points, and two-straight games holding an opponent to multiple quarters with less than 10 points.
UCA hits the road for the next one, heading up to UT-Martin on Nov. 16. Tipoff against the Skyhawks is set for 7 p.m.
