Central Arkansas Wins Eighth Straight
Central Arkansas 52, Eastern Kentucky 47
RICHMOND, Ky. - Free throws were once again the difference in a second-half comeback for Central Arkansas as the Sugar Bears hit 19 of 22 - including 15 of 16 in the second half - to defeat Eastern Kentucky 52-47 on Tuesday.
"We figured out a way to win another game," UCA head coach Matt Daniel said. "The free throws were really big for us. This team came in here and knocked down free throws when it counted. If you'd have told me we'd go 19 for 22 and Megan Herbert would miss all three, I'd tell you you were crazy. The bottom line is we're 8-2 and it's certainly a Merry Christmas."
In getting their eighth straight win, the Sugar Bears found themselves facing a double-digit deficit in the second half for the second straight game. And, just as they did against Southeast Missouri on Saturday, the Sugar Bears (8-2) found a way to come out on top despite their lowest point total of the season.
"At the end of the year they don't ask you how," Daniel said. "They just ask you how many. And right now 8-2 feels pretty good."
Down by as many as 12 in the second half, the Sugar Bears battled back with an 18-7 run to cut the EKU (5-6) lead to one with 3:29 left.
With both teams in the midst of a three-minute drought, the Sugar Bears finally made their move just inside the five-minute mark. Freshman guard Britney Gowans tipped in an offensive rebound with 4:48 to go to cut the Lady Colonels lead to 43-38. After getting a steal on the other end, Gowans came back with a pair of free throws to make it 43-40.
Gowans then rebounded a missed free throw by EKU's Alex Jones and, on the offensive end, dished to Megan Moss for a jumper near the top of the key to make it 43-42.
After EKU ran its lead back out to four, Gowans hit a pair of free throws to get it back to two and followed it up with a steal that would lead to Nakeia Guiden getting a pair of free throws.
Guiden, who finished 6-for-6 at the line, hit both to tie the game at 46 with 1:58 to play.
Megan Herbert, who had game highs with 20 points and 13 rebounds for her UCA record 10th consecutive double-double, hit two free throws with 57 seconds left to give UCA its first lead since 2-0 12 seconds into the game.
The Lady Colonels, who were just 4 of 8 from the line, had an opportunity to tie with 31 seconds to go but Sarah Fraser-Jones hit just one of two to cut the UCA lead to one.
UCA closed it out with four straight free throws from Micah Rice and Guiden to seal the victory.
Herbert was the only Sugar Bear to finish in double figures scoring, with Rice adding nine and Guiden eight. Gowans led UCA with three steals, and she and Marci Moffitt each had a team-best two assists.
Jones led EKU with 15 points.
By getting their eighth victory, UCA now has its highest win total since the 2006-07 season.
The Sugar Bears will break for Christmas and then return to play with a two-game swing in Illinois - taking on Chicago State on Dec. 29 and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on the 31st.
No. 11/12 LSU 72, Southeastern Louisiana 27
BATON ROUGE - No. 11/12 LSU opened the game with a 17-0 run and Southeastern Louisiana could not recover in a 72-27 loss to the Lady Tigers in non-conference women's basketball action Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Senior guard Kim Edmonson led Southeastern with 10 points, but the Lady Lions were held to 23.1 percent shooting from the floor and the Lady Lions were held to their lowest point total in school history. Edmonson and senior center Rachel Mackie led Southeastern with five rebounds each, while Mackie was credited with a team-high two assists.
"LSU is a very good defensive team and they did things to get us out of our flow which we expected," Southeastern head coach Lori Davis Jones commented. "What was disappointing is that we didn't show the type of effort we needed to get open."
LSU was paced by senior guard Allison Hightower, who had 16 points and a game-high five steals. Sophomore forward LaSondra Barrett notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while also finishing with a game-high five assists. LSU held a 50-38 rebounding advantage, marking the first time the Lady Lions have been out-rebounded in the past seven games. Freshman guard Adrienne Webb added 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench for LSU.
The Lady Lions (6-6) had their four-game winning streak snapped by the Lady Tigers (10-1). LSU was able to bounce back from their first loss of the season - a 77-63 defeat at Nebraska on Sunday.
A stifling Lady Tiger defensive effort held Southeastern scoreless for the first eight minutes of the game. Edmonson's jumper put the Lady Lions on the board for the first time with 11:38 left in the opening half.
The Lady Lions pulled as close as 13 in the opening half, but the combination of Hightower and Barrett allowed LSU to pull ahead at the break, 35-11. Hightower had 11 points in the opening half, while Barrett chipped in with seven points and eight rebounds. Edmonson led Southeastern in the opening half with five points, while junior center Rachel Mackie added four points in the initial 20 minutes.
Southeastern will be off until Jan. 4, when they return home to host Tulane at 7 p.m. in the University Center. Kelli Jenkins will be the Spotlight Player of the Game and the first 150 fans in attendance will receive a trading card featuring the Plaquemine native courtesy of the Southeastern PRIDE (Positive Role-models Involved in the Development of Excellence). The Jan. 4 matchup between the Lady Lions and Green Wave will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.
Tulane 75, McNeese State 45
NEW ORLEANS - McNeese State's women's basketball team fell 75-45 to Tulane here Tuesday night in the Cowgirls' final game before the Christmas Holiday. The Cowgirls' shooting woes continued as the Cowgirls ended the game with a 31.7 field goal shooting percent and made one of two free throws in the game. Tulane shot 38.1 percent from the field and 79.2 percent from the free throw line. The Green Wave made 19 of 24 free throws.
"We hurt with the lack of production off the bench with Kendra on the bench. We didn't stop nor did we limit their runs tonight," said head coach Brooks Donald Williams.
Kiara Johnson led the Cowgirls with 12 points and was the only McNeese player to score in double figures. Wells ended the game with two points and was sent to the bench after picking up two early fouls.
"We need to continue to get better. It looks like we are breaking for the Christmas holiday on a negative note but we really aren't. After the game in the locker room, we pointed out several positives that came out of the game."
Tulane scored the first points of the game on a three-pointer by Roshaunda Barnes and the Cowgirls came down on its next possession and scored on a jumper by Ne'Aisha Anderson. Tulane went on a 8-0 scoring run to take a 10-2 lead five minutes into the game then another 13-4 run in the next four minutes to take a 23-6 lead.
Tulane held a 43-22 halftime lead on a 46.7 field goal shooting percent and a 46.2 three-point shooting percent. The Green Wave were nearly perfect from the charity stripe in the half by making 9 of 10 attempts.
The Cowgirls shot 32.2 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from three-point range and didn't attempt a free throw.
One positive thing for the Cowgirls tonight was that Candace LaCombe was released by team doctor and dressed out and sat on the bench. LaCombe, the Cowgirls' leading scorer in the first game is expected to return after the break.
McNeese (3-8) will return to action on Dec. 30 to host Norfolk State and Tulsa on Jan. 2 at home before beginning Southland Conference play on the road at UTSA on Jan. 9