Basketball
Sugar Bears roll to ASUN title game with win
UCA moves within one game of getting to the NCAA Tournament with semifinal win over the Colonels on Tuesday night.
CONWAY, Ark. — It’s not taking UCA coach Tony Kemper long to start having an impact with the Sugar Bears. Now they are one game away from getting to a conference championship game in the ASUN to advance to the NCAA Tournament with a 68-57 win at the Farris Center on Tuesday evening.
UCA improved to 21-10 on the year, and the win came from hot shooting by a number of people. Jade Upshaw and Leah Mafua led the way early, both posting seven points in the first quarter, Randrea Wright had eight by halftime, and Kinley Fisher closed it out with ten in the fourth quarter. The quartet combined for 54 points, nearly matching the Colonels without even needing a fifth player.
“That one feels pretty good. We had a fantastic crowd that mattered, we played tough defensively. I thought our start was really important, we did that the other night too,” Kemper said later. “We knew they were going to score, so we would have to counterpunch. Having the lead that we had right out of the gate really mattered. They cut it to two multiple times late, so I think the start was really good for us to set the tone.”
Tony Kemper (Ted McClenning / allBEARS+)
The start for UCA was great. Maybe not as great as the 17-0 start from the last meeting, but even on Tuesday, the lead reached double figures in the first quarter. Mafua and Upshaw got going early, each one scoring seven points in the first quarter to build a quick 11-point lead.
Just like the previous matchup (and most games in the Farris Center) it was the defensive intensity that helped separate the teams. The Sugar Bears allowed the Colonels to shoot just 28 percent, and no individual Colonel had more than three points in the opening frame. It also marked the 20th time this season that a UCA opponent failed to reach 10 points in a quarter.
Eastern Kentucky was not going to go quietly, however, whittling the lead back to five points within a couple of minutes of the second quarter. And it would stay single digits for the remainder of the quarter, with teams matching each other bucket for bucket.
Kinley Fisher (Ted McClenning / allBEARS+)
A three-pointer from EKU with 4:27 left in the first half made it 27-24, but back-to-back scores from Upshaw and Fisher stretched the lead back to multiple possessions. With seconds left on the clock and a six-point lead, Wright hit her defender with a terrific crossover into a step-back jumper, knocking down the shot at the buzzer for an 8-point halftime lead.
UCA rebuilt its lead out of halftime, stretching it to double-figures for much of the third. Balanced scoring had the Sugar Bears up as much as 14 points before an 8-0 run by the Colonels shrunk the lead to six going to the fourth quarter. The run continued into the fourth quarter, and suddenly, a 12-0 run had the lead at just two points.
A Fisher layup ended the streak, and kept the Sugar Bears up by four. UCA would then put together two scores and a stop multiple times throughout the middle of the fourth, edging the lead to six, then up to eight, then back to ten with 3:50 to go. Fisher, in particular, used a flurry of footwork inside the paint to get to the line over and over, scoring ten points in just the final quarter.
The Sugar Bears now turn their attention to Saturday’s championship game against FGCU. After falling to the Eagles in Fort Myers last time the teams met, it will take a titanic effort to topple the league’s number one seed on their home floor.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, with a chance to go to the Big Dance for the first time since 2017. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Leah Mafua (Ted McClenning / allBEARS+)
Basketball
Sugar Bears fall to No. 9 Kansas State 86-39
UCA lost its second game of the season to Kansas State, giving the Bears two losses to Power 4 Conference teams.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Central Arkansas women’s basketball team got an up close look at what it takes to be one of the best teams in the nation on Sunday.
No. 9 Kansas State defeated the Sugar Bears 86-39, dropping their record to 4-2 to start the season. Both of UCA losses were to Power 4 Conference teams. Jade Upshaw and Randrea Wright led UCA in scoring with eight points each, Kinley Fisher had six points and Bree Stephens had five. Cheyenne Banks led the team in rebounds with four defensive rebounds.
It took some time for the Sugar Bears to adjust to the size and length of the Wildcats, and the first half was tough for UCA. Early turnovers created a double-digit deficit quickly, and UCA couldn’t find the offense to get back into it. It didn’t help that Kansas State has shooters at every spot surrounding their bigs, as the home team shot 53 percent from the field and 48 percent from deep.
The second half started off better for UCA, making five of their first six shots but Kansas State matched each bucket with one of its own. Despite signs of improved play in the second half, the Sugar Bears never threatened to close the gap with Kansas State. UCA did end up outscoring the Wildcats 14-9 in the game’s final quarter of play.
UCA returns home for its next game on Saturday against Little Rock at 1 p.m.
Basketball
UCA falls to Georgia Tech 87-68
The Bears dropped their fifth game to start to the 2024-25 campaign against Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon.
ATLANTA – Central Arkansas men’s basketball team fell behind early against Georgia Tech and couldn’t comeback falling 87-68 at McCamish Pavilion on Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead and never looked back, improving their record to 4-3 overall. UCA, who was missing five players for Saturday’s contest, fell to 2-5 to start the 2024-25 campaign.
“The first two minutes of the game, they punched us in the mouth,” said UCA head coach John Shulman. “We’re down 10-0. (associate head coach) Brock (Widders) said with 3:30 to go in the game, we were down one in the second half. So if we just take care of the first two minutes, it’s a two-point game with three to play.
“I thought their athleticism and size wore us down and we could never get over the hump. It was a 9 to 12-point game the entire game. At an ACC venue, at Georgia Tech. So it is what it is. Their size and length hurt us. But I can’t ask Elias (Cato) and Layne (Taylor) and Brayden (Fagbemi) and Michael (Fagbemi) to do a whole lot more than what they’re doing. They’re all playing too many minutes.”
Layne Taylor led the Bears with 20 poiints and three rebound while Elias Cato had 17 and 4 and Brayden Fagbemi had 15 and six.
The Bears kept cutting into their deficit but the Yellow Jackets kept responding down the stretch in the second half. A Taylor three-pointer got UCA within 51-45 early in the second half. Another by Fagbemi made it a 58-51 margin with 13:00 left.
A 10-2 run by Georgia Tech pushed it back out to a 15-point lead with 8:30 remaining before Taylor nailed another corner three. Georgia Tech could never quite pull away from the Bears, despite making 13 three-pointers and winning the rebound battle 41-28, but UCA could not get the margin to single digits.
UCA has three consecutive in-state foes coming up, all on the road. The Bears play at Little Rock on Wednesday, at UAPB on Saturday and vs. Arkansas on Dec. 14 at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock.
Basketball
Bears drop game against SEMO that will sting for awhile
UCA comes close, but missed free throws in overtime lead to 76-73 loss to Redhawks on Thursday night
CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas battled into overtime on Thursday before falling 77-73 to the Southeast Missouri Redhawks in non-conference action at the Farris Center.
UCA, which got 20 points apiece from senior Elias Cato and sophomore Brayden Fagbemi, misfired on three free throws in the overtime period. Fagbemi made two of two at the line with 12.5 seconds left to get the Bears within three at 76-73.
UCA guard Brayden Fagbemi driving against Southeast Missouri at the Farris Center. / Ted McClenning-AllBears+ Images
Sophomore Michael Evbagharu then stole a SEMO pass and Cato was fouled. Cato, UCA’s lone senior who also had seven rebounds to go with his 20 points, missed both free throw attempts. SEMO’s Marqueas Bell made 1 of 2 for a 77-73 lead with 6.8 to play before Brendan Terry missed two more for the Redhawks.
“Athletics and basketball and sports is a very finicky, and sometimes very cruel game,” said UCA coach John Shulman. “That’s why not everybody can do it. You’ve got a bunch of hurting kids in there, who have busted their tail ends and not getting rewarded for it.
“It is what is it. It’s the test. What are you going to do now. Are you going to keep on working or are you just going to feel sorry for yourself. That’s what’s hard. I hate it for the kids, because they deserved better tonight. They deserved better against Western Illinois. We deserved better but we didn’t get better, so what are you going to do. You just have to get back to work.”
UCA forward Elias Cato driving against Southeast Missouri at the Farris Center. / Ted McClenning-AllBears+ Images
The teams played to a 34-34 halftime tie, despite the Bears hitting just 1 of 6 from three-point range. For the game, UCA was an uncharacteristic 3-of-21 (14.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
“You have to get the foul line in that particular situation and miss, to understand what if feels like,” said Shulman. “I don’t know how many true freshmen are playing in America. But if we can all just take a deep breath and hang in there with these young kids … these are true freshmen, and they’re taking big shots.
“So let’s just see what those big shots look like in January (when ASUN play begins).”
UCA forward Michael Evbagharu driving against Southeast Missouri at the Farris Center. / Ted McClenning-AllBears+ Images
The game featured 15 lead changes and 17 ties, with six points the biggest lead for either team.
“It felt like a conference game,” said Shulman. “I thought Saturday (at WIU) felt like a conference game. And to be honest, I think we got better tonight. I wish we had a result. I wish we could say, hey look at us, we’re rocking and rolling. I can’t say that. But I feel a lot different than I did after Western Illinois.
“I thought our effort was really good. I think we got better tonight.”
The Bears will be at home again at 1 p.m. Sunday, facing UNC Asheville, which will play SEMO at 6:30 Friday night as part of UCA’s multi-team event
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