Three Sugar Bears score double figures in win over North Florida

CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas stepped up defensively to protect the Farris Center, defeating North Florida, 58-44, on Saturday afternoon. Three Sugar Bears scored in double-figures to provide the offense, closing out a fifth-straight win.

Central Arkansas improved to 16-6 on the year, now 8-1 in the ASUN and 9-0 at home. Jade Upshaw had 16 points, leading the team in scoring for the ninth time this season. Randrea Wright added 12, and Bree Stephens chipped in a hyper-efficient 10 points. The 9-0 home record is the most consecutive home wins to start a season since 2011-12, when the Sugar Bears went a perfect 16-0 at home.

The long ball was hitting in the opening minutes of the game, as the Sugar Bears connected on four-straight threes to kick things off, jumping out to a ten-point lead in the first five minutes. Even more impressive, the four makes were from three different players, with Upshaw hitting a pair, Stephens and Wright each hitting one. The three-point barrage helped Central Arkansas move ahead by five after the first, after the defense held North Florida to 30 percent shooting and just ten points.

Stephens opened the second quarter with another three, and Leah Mafua added another on the next possession, marking six threes in the first 12 minutes of the game. North Florida tried to whittle the lead back to single-digits, but the effort never quite stuck. Central Arkansas pushed it back over ten with a pair of free throws at the very end of the half, after Upshaw was fouled on a buzzer-beating layup attempt.

Despite the Sugar Bears shooting 50 percent in the quarter and canning all three of their three-point shots, it was the defense that stuck out. Limiting the Ospreys to just nine points, Central Arkansas held North Florida to 26 percent shooting from the field and 14 percent from three. The Sugar Bears also forced three turnovers, turning them into three points.

Central Arkansas shot 7-for-11 from distance in the first half, compared to just 2-of-10 by the Ospreys. North Florida came into the game second in the conference in made threes, but struggled to find clean looks against the Sugar Bears.

The third quarter was the definition of a back-and-forth affair, as neither side was able to string more than two scores together. Central Arkansas attacked the rim with reckless abandon, scoring ten of the team’s 14 points in the paint.

Additionally, six turnovers by the Ospreys helped the Central Arkansas defense turn plays into offense, scoring eight points off of the miscues. Upshaw in particular was active in the paint, scoring six points in the quarter. After three frames, Central Arkansas led by 12 points.

North Florida whittled the lead to single digits a couple of times early in the fourth quarter, but never mounted much offense otherwise. On the other side, Kinley Fisher got hot in the frame, scoring eight-straight to start the quarter, keeping the Sugar Bears on top and moving forward. Fisher’s burst kept the Ospreys from making any kind of run.

Central Arkansas hits the road for the next week, playing two games in Florida. First up, it’s a Thursday game against the reign ASUN champion FGCU, followed by a Saturday showdown with Stetson.

Information from UCASports.com is included in this story.