Sugar Bears
Sugar Bears notch 20th win of season, downing West Georgia
Jade Upshaw, Bree Stephens combine for 38 points in last home game of season after only dropping two at home
CONWAY, Ark. – After celebrating the careers of six seniors, Central Arkansas took control for a 72-62 win over West Georgia.
It marked the 20th win of the season, the second-straight season with 20-plus wins for the Sugar Bears.
UCA improved to 20-7 overall and 14-2 in ASUN games. Jade Upshaw poured in 22 points, the seventh time this season the senior has eclipsed 20 points.
Bree Stephens matched her career-best in Purple and Gray, notching 16 points on six shots, including four makes from three-point range.
The Sugar Bear defense was on to start the game, opening up an 8-2 lead through the first few minutes. Stephens, in particular, was a dominant presence, blocking three shots in the first four minutes.
But the Wolves answered with an 8-2 run of their own, knotting the score at 10-10, eventually stretching it to a 14-10 Wolves lead.
Down 17-16, the Sugar Bears hit back-to-back threes, one from Upshaw, and one at the buzzer by Jenna Cook, to take a five-point lead after the first inning.
A three-pointer by Destine Duckworth put UCA up six early in the second, and the Sugar Bears would hold the small lead throughout the frame.
West Georgia cut the lead to two on several occasions, but never got the game tied or took a lead.
The Sugar Bears made three shots from distance in the quarter to keep the Wolves at bay, but a late score by the visitors cut the lead to one at the halftime break.
Upshaw tallied the first four points of the second half to boost the lead to four. Then, as the quarter reached the midpoint, Stephens connected on back-to-back three-pointers, forcing a timeout from the Wolves as the lead reached seven.
She added a layup a few possessions later to make it eight-straight by the Australian. The senior’s eight were more than half of the Sugar Bears’ points in the third.
On the other side, UCA held West Georgia to just 25 percent shooting, allowing 12 points in the quarter to add three to the lead entering the fourth.
But West Georgia wasn’t going anywhere, opening the fourth with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to two. Leah Mafua hit a three-pointer to stem the tide, but the Wolves would cut the lead to one with a 4-0 burst.
Upshaw, Elizabeth Abiara and Kinley Fisher added to the lead to make it a four-point lead, and Fisher added a step-back three with 88 seconds to go to push the lead to seven. The Sugar Bears capped the afternoon with four free throws, and claimed win number 20 on the year.
UCA moves to 26-2 at home since the beginning of last season. The Sugar Bears are on the road for the final two regular season games, starting at EKU on Thursday. Game time in Richmond is set for 6 p.m.
Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.
