Sugar Bears
Sugar Bears keep rolling, downing Hatters for 11th win of year
Entire roster contributes as UCA stays undefeated at the Farris Center with 85-64 win behind Upshaw, Mafua
CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas took care of business at home again, defeating the Stetson Hatters 85-64 Saturday afternoon.
Jade Upshaw (21 points) and Leah Mafua (18 points) carried the Sugar Bears to their 11th win of the season and the fifth ASUN win of the year. But beyond their scoring, contributions came from the entire roster on Saturday, and helped keep UCA unbeaten at home this year.
The first quarter started slowly for the Sugar Bears, who just didn’t seem to have that game-ready gear from the jump. Upshaw, however, carried the team offensively, scoring 10 points on 80 percent shooting to keep UCA in it.
Seven first-quarter turnovers weren’t the key to success either, allowing 11 Stetson points resulting from the miscues. But outside of the points off turnovers, the halfcourt defense from the Sugar Bears was as locked in as ever, and the home team trailed by just three after the first.
UCA started creeping back into it in the second, taking its first lead of the frame with 7:28 to go. From there, a few threes from Upshaw, six free throws and seven second-chance points helped the Sugar Bears break the game open.
UCA Sugar Bears Bree Stephens takes a shot against the Stetson Hatters at the Farris Center in Conway, Ark. / Ted McClenning-AllBears+ Images
Stifling defense on the other end, including four second-quarter blocks by Bree Stephens, held Stetson to just 23 percent shooting and limited the visitors to ten points. At halftime, Upshaw had 19 points by herself, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 5-for-7 from three, torching the Hatters and willing the Sugar Bears to a nine-point lead. Early in the game, Upshaw hit her 100th three-pointer in Purple and Gray, becoming just the sixth player in the program’s Division I history to reach the mark.
Stetson cut the lead to five to open the second half, but a quick adjustment by the Sugar Bears got the lead right back to double-digits. Stephens stepped up offensively in the frame, connecting on two momentum-swinging triples in a two-minute span that built the lead to 14 points by the midway point of the third.
UCA Sugar Bears Leah Mufua drives the lane against the Stetson Hatters at the Farris Center in Conway, Ark. / Ted McClenning-AllBears+ Images
Mafua also added nine points in the third, and after Stephens ended the quarter with her third three, the Dodge City transfers had combined for 18 points to boost the lead to 17 heading to the fourth.
With all of the momentum behind the Sugar Bears, Stetson had no answers in the fourth quarter. Early in the quarter, Kinley Fisher canned a couple of threes, also reaching 100 triples in a UCA uniform, joining Upshaw as the seventh Division I Sugar Bear with 100 career threes.
Meanwhile, Stetson couldn’t even get the lead under 20, save for one time with under four minutes to go. But two more three-pointers, one from Destine Duckworth and one from Cheyanne Kemp, boosted the margin back to 25, and the home team coasted through the finish line. In all, UCA hit 16 three-pointers, matching the high-mark against a Division I opponent set against Lipscomb.
The Sugar Bears are back on the road for the next three games, starting with two on the road next week.
On Thursday, it’s a rematch with Lipscomb in Nashville, then a quick hop over to Austin Peay on Saturday.
Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.
