Sugar Bears
Wright’s milestone, Abiara’s double-double lifts Sugar Bears to win
UCA closes regular season at North Alabama on Saturday after picking up 21st win of season on road
RICHMOND, Ky. — It wasn’t easy, but Central Arkansas out-battled Eastern Kentucky for a 63-59 win Thursday night.
The win was highlighted by Randrea Wright’s 1,000th career point in the fourth quarter, which proved to be a massive bucket.
The Sugar Bears (21-7, 15-2 ASUN) continue to play winning basketball, and found a way to overcome a slew of early turnovers to escape a tough environment in Baptist Health Arena.
Elizabeth Abiara led the way with 14 points and 11 rebounds, one of two Sugar Bears to log a double-double.
Wright, who entered the game just 11 points away from 1,000, had 13. Jade Upshaw had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Leah Mafua chipped in 10.
UCA opened the game with an 11-5 run, hitting three shots from beyond the arc to jump out early. Wright canned a pair of threes, connecting on back-to-back shots to help build the six-point lead.
Turnovers allowed EKU to get back into the game, and in a close game, five turnovers leading to six EKU points kept the home team close.
Fisher hit a jumper in the paint with 39 seconds left in the frame, and a defensive stop on the other end saw the Sugar Bears up one after the first quarter.
Both sides traded buckets in the second quarter, continuing a trend of neither side building much of a lead. EKU took a four-point lead midway through the frame, using a 7-0 run to flip the lead.
The Sugar Bears responded with back-to-back scores to tie the game by the media timeout. The teams continued to go back and forth, before an EKU layup with 11 seconds left in the half put the Colonels up one at the break.
The third quarter continued to be like the first half, with small runs being answered with small runs. EKU built the lead back up to a whopping four points, but Abiara scored six-straight points to turn that margin into a two-point lead for the Sugar Bears.
Mafua knocked down a three-pointer with just over a minute left, and two turnovers and two missed shots saw the third quarter end with the Sugar Bears up one.
Abiara logged eight points in the quarter, reaching double-figure scoring for the seventh time this season.
The lead continued to go back and forth in the final quarter, with six lead changes and four ties throughout the final ten minutes.
But every time the Colonels hit a shot, UCA answered. Wright scored seven points in the fourth, including a big three-pointer with under three minutes to go to put the Sugar Bears up three, which also marked her 1,000th point for the Sugar Bears.
EKU answered to tie the game, but momentum was squarely in the hands of the Sugar Bears. An Upshaw bucket with less than a minute, and free throws by Fisher gave the game its final score.
UCA closes the regular season at North Alabama on Saturday, facing the Lions in Florence, Alabama at 6 p.m.
Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.
