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Bears extend streak winning ASUN opening, downing Queens

UCA battles back in conference opener to grab a close win, but now go on road to face West Georgia.

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CONWAY, Ark. — Down 2-0 early, Central Arkansas battled back for a 3-2 victory in its ASUN opener against Queens on Thursday night. The win extended the Bears’ streak of being unbeaten in ASUN openers to four-straight matches.

The Bears (2-5, 1-0 ASUN) fought tooth and nail to scratch back into it against the Royals. UCA had three scorers, and outshot Queens 22-5 across the 90 minutes. Sophia Backstrom logged her team-leading third goal of the season in the win, with Kelly Van Gundy and Caroline Billings notching scores as well.

UCA came out swinging, putting two great shots up in the first few minutes. Megan Moudy’s shot trailed off target, and Melissa Rios forced a save from the Royals keeper. But as quickly as the Bears came out of the gate, Queens countered just as quickly. The Royals scored back-to-back goals in just a few minutes to take a quick 2-0 lead in the 16th minute.

But the Bears stuck to their system, moving the ball up the pitch. With the ball in the middle of the field, Brianna Lopez slipped a ball through the defense that allowed Van Gundy to run on and take the keeper one on one, a battle won by the midfielder. Punching it home, the Bears were on the board in the 27th minute.

As the first half dwindled, UCA was still trailing, but getting good looks at the goal. Finally, a corner kick with just under a minute paid off. Kayla Hurley lined up on the right corner, and lofted a pass into the sweet spot. On the other side, a 5 foot 9 inch Caroline Billings, who put it in the back of the net with a picture-perfect header back across the face of the goal, and the Bears went into halftime tying the game and capturing momentum.

Just like the first half, UCA almost scored right out of the gates. Anna Kerr had a great opportunity just seconds into the new half, but the Queens keeper was able to get a paw on it to keep the shot out of the net.

A couple of minutes later, Lopez hit a shot off the crossbar, indicative of how the bulk of the second half would go. UCA continued to control possession for much of the half, only allowing occasional drives from the Royals.

With just seconds left in regulation, the score still tied at 2-2 and the Bears outshooting Queens 11-2 in the half, Kerr was able to snake a dribble-drive into the box, getting herself all the way to the goal line before sending it across the box. Backstrom made a great sprint into the path of the ball, and sent it in with just 11 seconds remaining in the match.

With the win, UCA is 3-0-1 in ASUN openers, having joined the league in 2021.

Up next, the Bears hit the road to head to Carrolton, Ga., for the first conference matchup with West Georgia. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. on Sunday.

Boys High School Basketball Poll

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL RANKINGS
Following is the overall Top 10 girls high school basketball teams in Arkansas and the top five in Classes 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A as voted by a panel of sports media from around the state for the week ending January 5. Ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points and last week's rankings:
OVERALLRecordPtsPrv
1.Conway (19)27-11991
2.Farmington (1)23-11802
3.Green Co. Tech24-21343
4.Springdale Har-Ber23-41284
5.Fort Smith Northside21-41085
6.Springdale23-31056
7.Pulaski Academy28-0897
8.Mountain Home23-4419
9.Little Rock Central18-6398
10.Vilonia19-721
Others receiving votes: North Little Rock 17, Dover 11, Little Rock Christian 10, Valley View 8, West Side Greers Ferry 5, Marion 2, DeQueen 1, Nashville 1
CLASS 6A
1.Conway (20)28-11001
2.Springdale Har-Ber23-4672
3.Fort Smith Northside21-4573
4.Springdale23-3524
5.Little Rock Central18-6195
Others receiving votes: North Little Rock 5.
CLASS 5A
1.Farmington (20)23-11001
2.Green Co. Tech24-2772
3.Mountain Home23-4453
4.Vilonia19-7344
5.Little Rock Christian21-4235
Others receiving votes: Valley View 19, Marion 2.
CLASS 4A
1.Pulaski Academy (20)28-01001
2.DeQueen26-1802
3.Nashville20-7543
4.Watson Chapel20-4384
5.Arkadelphia17-6125
Others receiving votes: Forrest City 7, Stuttgart 4, Brookland 3, Pottsville 1, Pea Ridge 1.
CLASS 3A
1.Dover (20)18-01001
2.Lamar27-2762
3.Dumas25-1573
4.Mountain View22-7314
5.Harding Academy20-214
Others receiving votes: Fouke 9, Elkins 4, Bergman 3, Centerpoint 3, Melbourne 1, Salem 1, Manila 1.
CLASS 2A
1.Quitman (8)27-1831
2.Riverside (6)29-3762
3.Barton (6)29-1683
4.Izard County23-4324
5.Sloan-Hendrix29-415
Others receiving votes: Poyen 14, Dierks 13, Cutter-Morning Star 1.
CLASS 1A
1.West Side Greers Ferry (20)32-31001
2.Earle22-6782
3.Marked Tree24-6393
4.Taylor26-4364
5.Rural Special27-6325
Others receiving votes: Scranton 10, Jasper 4, Wonderview 1.

Girls High School Basketball Poll

BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL RANKINGS
Following is the overall Top 10 boys high school basketball teams in Arkansas and the top five in Classes 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A as voted by a panel of sports media from around the state for the week ending January 5. Ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points and last week's rankings:
OVERALLRecordPtsPrv
1.Springdale (15)25-31931
2.Benton (3)24-31703
3.Jonesboro (2)23-31672
4.Little Rock Mills26-11394
5.Bryant17-91185
6.Maumelle21-6757
7.Valley View22-3436
8.Forrest City22-2408
Fayetteville19-7409
Harrison23-54010t
Springdale Har-Ber16-94010t
Others receiving votes: Nettleton 14, North Little Rock 8, Little Rock Christian 8, Farmington 3, Bergman 1, Conway 1.
CLASS 6A
1.Springdale (17)25-3971
2.Jonesboro (3)23-3832
3.Bryant17-9563
4.Springdale Har-Ber16-9305
5.Fayetteville19-7254
Others receiving votes: North Little Rock 9, Bentonville 1, Conway 1.
CLASS 5A
1.Benton (2024-31001
2.Maumelle21-6723
3.Valley View22-3392
4.Harrison23-5384
5.Little Rock Christian21-5235
Others receiving votes: Nettleton 12, Farmington 11, Sylvan Hills 4, Marion 1.
CLASS 4A
1.Little Rock Mills (20)26-11001
2.Forrest City22-2782
3.Magnolia16-1533
4.Morrilton19-7274
5.Little Rock Hall18-6255
Others receiving votes: Dardanelle 8, Joe T. Robinson 5, Blythevile 2, Brookland 1, Camden Fairview 1.
CLASS 3A
1.Bergman (20)32-21001
2.Lamar 24-3732
3.Osceola19-6533
4.Subiaco Academy20-4305
5.Elkins26-4184
Lincoln24-418
Others receiving votes: Melbourne 4, Dumas 2, Newport 2.
CLASS 2A
1.England (18)26-3901
2.Cedar Ridge (1)24-5652
3.Riverside (1)30-6593
4.Izard County21-9464
5.Ozark Catholic32-4235
Others receiving votes: East Poinsett County 13, Mount Vernon-Enola 2, Sloan-Hendrix 1, Hackett 1.
CLASS 1A
1.Earle (20)17-31001
2.Marked Tree22-5702
3.Nevada County25-7503
4.County Line25-5344
5.Jasper25-7135t
Others receiving votes: Brinkley 10, Clarendon 8, Dermott 7.

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