2023-11-23 19:44:00
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CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas women’s basketball team continues its road swing, playing two games in Denver, Colo. The Sugar Bears start with a game once morest Denver at 2 p.m. CT on Friday before playing Nevada at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday.
Central Arkansas (2-2) goes to Mile High following a hard-fought loss at Arkansas on Monday. Despite falling 81-67, the Sugar Bears looked more than competitive during stretches once morest the Razorbacks, winning both the second and fourth quarters. Jade Upshaw led the way with 16 points, tying her season-high since joining the Sugar Bears. She was one of four players in double-figures once morest the Razorbacks, and hit four of the team’s ten three-pointers. The double-digit connections from beyond the arc were the most by a Sugar Bear team since 2018.
The scoring remains very balanced for Central Arkansas, with six players averaging at least seven points per game. Upshaw, whose 12.5 points per game lead the team, has shooting splits of 46/47/100, and has nine three-pointers to her name already.
The Sugar Bears still rank in the top-20 in field goal percentage defense following playing an SEC team, holding opponents to 31.6 percent shooting from the field. Arkansas was the first team in four tries to shoot over 33.3 percent, but still needed 20 free throws to really put the Sugar Bears away. Central Arkansas also leads the ASUN in most scoring and rebounding numbers, outrebounding teams by 12 boards per game and outscoring opponents by 13.5 points per game.
Denver hosts the Sugar Bears for the first time in program history following starting the season 1-2, with a win over North Alabama sandwiched between losses to Air Force and Wyoming. The home-opening loss to Wyoming was marked by a tough shooting day, with the Pioneers shooting less than 30 percent from the field and under 20 percent from three. Emily Counsel played well despite the loss, scoring 15 points and pulling down five rebounds.
Emma Smith leads the Pioneers in scoring, averaging 15.0 points through three contests, and is second on the team averaging 7.0 rebounds per game. She is the only double-digit scorer for a team that averages 57 points per game. Denver enters the week having shot the seventh-most threes in the country this season, letting loose on more than 27 triples per game. The downside for the Pioneers, however, is the 23 percent success rate on those shots, coming in at 305th in Division I.
Nevada (2-2) has played three of its four games at home this season, defeating Sacramento State and Pepperdine in Reno. Most recently, however, it was a loss to Oregon that evened the Wolf Pack’s record at 2-2. Trailing by one at half, Nevada was only able to muster 15 points in the second half, while surrendering 43 to the Ducks. Claire Jacobs led the team in scoring once morest Oregon, netting 12 points while connecting on a pair of triples.
Like Denver, the Wolf Pack only has one player averaging double-digit points this season: Audrey Roden. The junior guard was averaging over 17 points through the three games before Oregon, but scored just three once morest the Ducks, dropping her scoring number to 13.8 points per game. The West Linn, Oregon native also leads the team with nine assists and 13 steals.
Central Arkansas and Nevada have met on the court once, playing in the semifinal game of the 2018 CBI. In a 65-56 win for the Sugar Bears, Taylor Baudoin dominated en route to a game-high 24 points, part of a Central Arkansas team that shot 50 percent from the floor.
Tip-off once morest the Pioneers is set for 2 p.m. CT on Friday, and is followed by a noon start on Saturday once morest Nevada. Both games will be streamed on The Summit League Network, with live stats available online. Fans can also follow all the action on The Bear 91.3, with Steve Owens on the call.
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