CONWAY, Ark. – Entering tonight's game, Central Arkansas led the Southland Conference in scoring defense. HBU almost beat the Sugar Bears at their own game, but three late free throws in the final seconds turned a two-point HBU lead to a one-point UCA win, 45-44, Wednesday night from the Farris Center.
HBU (7-8 overall, 2-3 SLC) had its two-game winning streak snapped, but held the Sugar Bears to a season-low 23.7 field-goal percentage.
Monet Neal had game highs of 18 points and 15 rebounds while
Anna Strickland had 15 points and 14 boards. As a team, HBU shot 33 percent from the floor in the game.
UCA (14-2, 4-1) had a team-high 15 points from Maggie Proffitt, while Brianna Mullins had seven points and six rebounds.
After each team exchanged baskets to start the game, UCA scored five unanswered to take an early 7-2 lead. HBU came as close as one on two separate occasions, but Jameka Watkins hit a buzzer-beating trey to give the Sugar Bears a four-point advantage, 12-8, after one quarter.
A jumper by Taylor Strickland gave UCA its largest lead of the game, 17-9, midway through the second quarter before a Neal jumper and a Strickland three-pointer cut the deficit to three, 17-14, with 2:42 remaining in the half. That was all the closer HBU would come as UCA scored four straight points to take a 21-14 lead at the break.
Neal led all players with nine points, while both Mullins and Proffitt had five points for UCA. Both teams struggled from the floor, as HBU shot 23 percent compared to 24 percent for the Sugar Bears.
HBU used a 6-0 run to trail by only one, 23-22, with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter. Strickland had four points and
Rachel Arthur nailed two free throws in the run. UCA increased its lead to three, 25-22, but back-to-back jumpers by Strickland and Arthur gave HBU its first lead since 2-0. But UCA closed the quarter scoring four-straight points to take a three-point lead, 29-26, entering the final quarter.
An and-one for Neal tied the game at 31-all two-and-a-half minutes into the fourth frame. There would be five more ties with no team leading by more than two points. After a
Lisa Zderadicka three-pointer turned a one-point HBU deficit to a two-point Huskies' lead, the Huskies' defense stepped up as Arthur blocked a shot and the play resulted in two made free throws by Neal for a four-point HBU lead, 44-40, with 20 seconds left in regulation. A jumper by Sandy Jackson and two missed free throws by HBU meant UCA had a chance, down by two. Olivia McWilliams attempted a game-winning three-pointer but was fouled in the act of shooting with three seconds left. She made all three free throws as UCA came away with the win.
HBU will look to rebound at New Orleans Saturday at 4 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
