McNeese State Cowgirls upend Central Arkansas Sugar Bears to kickoff Southland Conference schedule

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (January 2, 2021) The McNeese State Cowgirls kicked off their 2021 Southland Conference schedule by downing the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears by the score of 59-45 at Burton Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. The Cowgirls (1-7) suited up only eight players, with everyone seeing action, due to injuries. 

McNeese jumped out to a 14-6 lead after 10 minutes of play; increasing their lead t0 35-15 at the half. The Sugar Bears mounted a comeback in the third quarter, outscoring McNeese 17-10. The fourth period saw -the Cowgirls hold on for a one-point advantage (14-13) to secure the win. Starting guard Kyla Hamilton (No. 12, shown above) topped the scoring with 15 points while pulling down seven rebounds; all of them on defense.

Fellow starting guards Claralee Richard  and Mychala Linzy also scored in double figures; 13 and 11 respectively. Jayla Cody came off the bench to lead the scoring for the Sugar Bears, with nine points.  Ayanna Trigg led the way in rebounds with eight (five on offense, three on defense).

Statistically, the Sugar Bears led scoring in the paint (28-22), second chance points (15-3) and off the bench scoring (19-10) and rebounds (51-25). McNeese held the edge in fast break points (21-0), field goal shooting (38%-29%), three-pointers (35%-12%) and free throws (70%-58%), and steals (17-6). The Cowgirls led the entire game, with their largest lead, 22 points, coming at the 8:52 mark of the third quarter.

Next up for McNeese is a Saturday, January 9 meeting against Northwestern State, with tip off scheduled for 1 p.m. CST at Burton Coliseum. The Sugar Bears will travel to New Orleans with a 7 p.m. start against the Privateers, on Wednesday, January 6.

Abilene Christian storms to 82-54 win over Central Arkansas

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (March 15, 2019) No. 4 Abilene Christian pushed their season record to 21-9 as they downed No. 8 Central Arkansas by the score of 82-54 in the second round of the Southland Conference Basketball Tournament in Katy, Texas. The win sets the Wildcats up for a Saturday, March 16 semi final match up against the No. 1 seeded Lamar Cardinals.

The Wildcats wastes little time in knocking the Sugar Bears out of the tournament. The jumped out to a 16-15 lead after 10 minutes of play; ending the first quarter with a 5-0 run. They extended their lead in the second quarter, outscoring their Southland Conference opponent 22-6; to take a 38-21 lead at the half. They also outscored the Sugar Bears 44-33 in the second half. 

The trio of forward Lexie Ducat, and guards Breanna Wright and Sara Williamson all scored in double digits, with Ducat and Wright tallying 14 points each, followed by Williamson with 11. Ducat and forward Makayla Mabry both pulled down eight rebounds to lead the game, with 15 of their 16 total coming on the defensive end of the court. Wright's three-pointer to end the first half gave her 999 career points and her seven assists have her four assists away from 400 for her career. Kamry Orr carried the banner for Central Arkansas, scoring 13 points, with Alana Canady adding 11. Hannah Langhi had seven rebounds in the loss.

Previously this season, the Wildcats faced Lamar on February 6, dropping a 63-60 decision at home. The Cardinals bring a 24-5 record into the game, along with a 17-1 conference record. Their only loss in conference play was to No. 2 Stephen F. Austin; a 70-58 loss in Nacogdoches. The game is set for a 1 p.m. tip off on Saturday and can be viewed in ESPN+. 

Central Arkansas overcomes Sam Houston State 76-71

Story by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved
Video courtesy of YouTube.com and Central Arkansas Athletics

KATY, TEXAS (March 14, 2019) Led by Kamry Orr's 29 points and 13 rebounds, the No. 8 Central Arkansas Sugar Bears downed No. 5 Sam Houston State by the score of 76-71 in the opening game of the 2019 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament in the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. Click on the inserted video as Sugar Bear head coach Sandra Rushing talked with the press after the game.