Sugar Bears
Sugar Bears just can’t keep up with top ASUN team ending win streak
Leah Mafua’s 17 points not nearly enough as UCA falls to dominating Florida Gulf Coast at the Farris Center
CONWAY, Ark. — Despite scoring the most points that Florida Gulf Coast has allowed all season, UCA couldn’t keep up with the high-powered offense of the ASUN’s number one team.
The loss snaps a 12-game losing streak for the Sugar Bears, and has the team at 19-7 overall and 13-2 in ASUN games. Leah Mafua led the team with 17 points, Randrea Wright added 13, and Kinley Fisher scored 12.
FGCU jumped out of the gates, drawing some early fouls on a 7-0 that put the Sugar Bears in a tough spot. Mafua hit back-to-back three-pointers to get the offense going, but a tough Eagle offense continued to hit shots to keep some distance. Despite shooting 53 percent in the quarter, Central Arkansas was down 15 after one. Mafua poured in 12 to try to keep the Sugar Bears afloat, shooting 5-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-2 from three.
UCA Sugar Bears coach Tony Kemper at the Farris Center against Florida Gulf Coast in Conway, Ark. | Ted McClenning-AllBears+ Images
UCA trimmed the lead to 11 early in the second, seeming to make some headway into the lead with some defensive stops. But a well-balanced FGCU offense put together a run to stretch the lead to 20. Wright helped spark a comeback down the stretch of the second, scoring five points and dishing an assist for a Cheyanne Kemp triple late in the half to bring the Sugar Bears back down to a 15-point deficit, matching the Eagles in the second quarter.
Kemp had nine points at the break on 4-of-5 shooting, including the late three. Eight Sugar Bears were in the scoring column, but blistering shooting by the visitors was making any chance of a comeback difficult.
UCA Sugar Bears Leah Mafua at the Farris Center against Florida Gulf Coast. | Ted McClenning-AllBears+ Images
Both offenses cooled in the third quarter, as UCA defended the paint better, but struggled from outside the arc. The Eagles shot just 43 percent from the floor in the quarter, but found enough offense to add to the lead by four after three quarters. And in the fourth, despite the game all but decided, UCA kept fighting, getting the lead under 20 points a few times before eventually succumbing to the offensive firepower of the Eagles. Mafua and Fisher combined for 11 in the frame to try to make a push late.
The Sugar Bears will lace the shoes up one more time at the Farris Center this regular season, facing West Georgia on Saturday for Senior Day. Prior to the 1 p.m. tip-off, the Sugar Bears will honor their six seniors.
Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.
