Sugar Bears
Strong finish carries Sugar Bears to win over North Florida
Seventh straight home win by Leah Mafua, Jade Upshaw, Kinley Fisher downs Ospreys on Thursday night at Farris Center
CONWAY, Ark. — Thursday’s win over North Florida was more than just a quality team win for the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears. It also had some major milestones go along with it.
As part of a 67-53 home win, senior guard Jade Upshaw crossed the 1,000-point mark in the second quarter of Thursday’s win.
The Sugar Bears improved to 10-6 overall and 4-1 in ASUN play, and keep the home winning-streak alive with a seventh-straight win in the Farris Center. Leah Mafua led all scorers with a dominant 24-point, 12-rebound double-double, Elizabeth Abiara added a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double of her own, and Upshaw and Kinley Fisher each tallied 11.
Mafua had the offense humming in the first quarter, outscoring the Ospreys by herself with 11 points in the first quarter. The senior from New Zealand connected on three triples and knocked down a pair of free throws to help build a seven-point lead after one. Defensively, the Sugar Bears forced five turnovers and parlayed them into eight points, holding North Florida to just 27 percent shooting.
Needing four points entering the game, and scoring just two points in the first quarter, Upshaw stayed within herself and didn’t hunt shots just to reach her milestone, instead moving the ball and helping the Sugar Bears find good shots in the second.
UCA used the frame to really build the lead, playing nearly perfectly on both sides of the ball. The Sugar Bears shot 69 percent in the quarter, which included two three-pointers and four freebies to build a 20-plus point lead. The Ospreys, meanwhile, struggled to find clean looks, shooting just 17 percent in the second quarter, including 1-of-12 inside the three-point line.
Upshaw nailed one of the triples for UCA at the 5:38 mark of the frame to capture her milestone, and UCA went into the break up 21 points, more than doubling the Ospreys 41-20 in the first half.
But North Florida came out of halftime determined to get back into the game, and the Ospreys did that on the defensive end. The third quarter saw the Sugar Bears shoot just 23 percent from the field and commit five turnovers, leading to seven UNF points.
On the other side, the Ospreys outscored UCA by eight to cut the lead to 13 headed to the fourth. North Florida was able to cut the lead down to single digits in the fourth quarter. But a savvy, veteran UCA squad kept pushing the lead back out, hitting critical free throws after forcing five UNF turnovers in the frame.
By the end, free throws by the home team and turnovers by the visitors had the lead near 15 as the clock ticked down, allowing the Sugar Bears to just run out the clock.
UCA has a quick turnaround before playing again, staying at home to face Stetson on Saturday. Tip-off against the Hatters is set for 1 p.m. in the Farris Center.
