FLORENCE, Ala. — A sluggish night in Florence saw Central Arkansas drop only its third ASUN game this season, closing the regular season with a rare loss at North Alabama on Saturday.

The setback moves the Sugar Bears to 21-8 on the year and ends the ASUN slate in second place with a 15-3 record. Kinley Fisher led the team with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Nine Sugar Bears got in the scoring column, but the 66-56 final score snapped a seven game road winning streak for Central Arkansas.

Everything was falling in the first quarter, as the Sugar Bears raced out to a 12-6 lead halfway through the first. After North Alabama hit a three to cut the lead to three, UCA rattled off a 6-0 run to close the quarter, holding UNA to just nine points in the frame and doubling up the home team.

After trading buckets to open the second, UCA led by eight points, but North Alabama put together a 10-0 run to swing momentum and the scoreboard. Fisher answered with a 7-2 run of her own to keep the Sugar Bears out in front, but North Alabama continued to hit shots.

Destine Duckworth capped the quarter with two three-pointers with less than 90 seconds, including the second with six seconds left, sending the Sugar Bears into the locker room with a two-point advantage.

Fisher and Duckworth combined for 13 of the team’s 15 in the quarter, but four turnovers and offensive rebounds allowed the Lions to cut the lead almost all the way down.

Fisher hit a fadeaway jumper in the paint to open the second half, part of a 6-5 exchange between the teams that had UCA clinging to a three-point lead.

But North Alabama started finding shots, taking the lead for the first time in the second half with 5:25 in the frame.

While the Sugar Bears kept it close, North Alabma was able to hold the lead until the final shot of the quarter, thanks to a 4-0 burst by Cheyanne Kemp that gave UCA a one-point lead headed to the fourth.

Free throws proved to be the difference in the fourth, as the Lions continually found their way to the free throw line.

The UCA deficit stayed within two possessions until a double foul was called on the Sugar Bears, giving North Alabama four free throws that allowed the Lions to open up the lead. With less than 30 seconds to go, that effectively took the wind out of the sails of any comeback attempt.

The Sugar Bears will regroup for the ASUN Championship, with at least two rounds being held in the Farris Center.

A play-in first round between Jacksonville and Bellarmine on Friday will determine the opponent for UCA’s quarterfinal game on Saturday. Both games will tip off at 6:30 p.m.

Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Central Arkansas got off to a slow start in in the Coach B Classic, dropping the first two games.

The Bears moved to 5-10 on the season after falling 5-0 to Purdue and 2-0 to SIU. Addie Graham extended her hitting streak to six games after logging hits in both outings.

Kylie Griffin found three against the Salukis, but UCA found moving runners quite the challenge on Friday.

Game one for the Bears did not have an ideal start, with defensive and pitching miscues allowing the first two runs of the game in the first inning.

Meanwhile, the offense put runners on in the first and second innings, but couldn’t find ways to move them.

Addie Graham started the fourth with a double to extend her hitting streak to five games, but once again, the Bears couldn’t move her around or put anyone else on behind her.

UCA managed four hits against the Boilermakers, and picked up two walks. Madge Layfield pitched in relief, making her third appearance. She scattered four hits in three innings, striking out one in the fifth.

The second game was decided early, with a second-inning home run by the Salukis being the only scoring hit of the day.

UCA nearly found pay dirt in the second, putting a pair on with walks, but a double play ended the inning with a runner in scoring position. The feat was repeated in the third, this time with back-to-back singles from Autumn Vessier and Griffin, but three-straight outs ended the frame without a score.

The Bears had one final chance in the seventh, just down two. Lilly Hood doubled to left field to get on base with one out.

A couple of batters later, with two outs, Mikaela Mortimer walked to get on, and Griffin singled to load the bases.

As was the case all day, the final touches weren’t there, and the Bears stranded three to end the game.

UCA is back on the field on Saturday, playing at 11 a.m. against Purdue Fort Wayne before closing the Coach B Classic at 4 p.m. against the Salukis.

Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.

CARROLLTON, Ga. — UCA used a balanced attack to complete the sweep of the West Georgia Wolves on Thursday night, winning 82-71 in an important Atlantic Sun matchup at The Coliseum.

The Bears, with two new injuries keeping Michael Evbagharu and Ethan Thomas out of the lineup, got double-figure scoring from four of their five starters and made 12 three-pointers to beat the Wolves for the second time this season and move a step closer to securing a berth in the ASUN Tournament.

The Bears and Wolves entered the game tied with 3-12 conference records and tied for 10th place. UCA is now 8-21 overall and 4-12 in league play. UWG fell to 5-24 and 3-13. Both teams have two games remaining. The top 10 teams make the tournament field.

“I’m just proud of them,” said UCA coach John Shulman. “Coming off Queens (loss on Tuesday), Mike’s out, how on earth are we going to get this thing figured out. We had a really good practice last night, a really positive practice. You know, we probably really won the game last night at practice.

“But everybody just made big shots. Ben (Fox) made a huge three at the beginning of the second half when they took the lead. They took the lead and we answered. Elias (Cato) made some big ones. And we haven’t played with a lead late in the game. We got some stops and we got some free throws.

“Listen, to be battling still after what this team has been through. And to be battling in late February, and to finally get our first road win. I told Elias, you want to leave your legacy here, get us back to the ASUN Tournament. And we’re not assured of that yet. But we really took a step forward with this win, and I’m really proud of our kids.”

UCA, which beat UWG 75-70 last month at the Farris Center, grabbed a 36-35 halftime lead behind 11 points from sophomore guard Brayden Fagbemi, and two three-pointers each from Fagbemi and Cato, UCA’s only senior. The Bears then outscored the Wolves 46-36 in the second half, shooting 51.9 percent from the field, 3 of 5 from three-point range and 11 of 15 at the free-throw line.

Freshman center Nehemiah Turner scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, while fellow freshman Cole McCormick tallied 13 of his 18 points after the break. Fagbemi led the Bears with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists while going 3 of 7 from the arc. Cato finished 4 of 7 from the perimeter and had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Fox, UCA’s fifth starter, was close to double figures with 8 points and a pair of three-pointers. For the game, UCA made 12 of 28 or 42.9 percent from three-point range. The Bears were also 18 of 24 (75 percent) from the foul line.

“To finally get a road win,” said Shulman. “And I approached it different. We talked about it, we’re always down at the beginning of the game. I said instead of drowning and swimming in self pity, why don’t we just get mad and try to go win the game. We haven’t talked about the W a whole lot, because ot the injuries and everything else, and because we haven’t won a whole lot.

“So we haven’t talked about winning and losing a whole lot. We did before this game. We just said, hey, this is a big-boy game. If you want to play in the ASUN Tournament, we have to win the game. We have to try to win the game. And you try and you don’t, it’s OK. But what is not OK is not trying to win the game.

“And I thought tonight we tried to win the game, and I was proud of them.”

The Bears return home for their final home game of the season on Monday night, hosting North Alabama at 6:30 at the Farris Center. They will then finish the regular season at Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday.

Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.