CONWAY, Ark. — After falling behind by as many as 15 late in the fourth quarter, Central Arkansas went on a 10-2 run in just over a minute to get as close as seven, but the rally was a little too late as the Sugar Bears fell 74-64 to Abilene Christian in the Farris Center on Saturday.
Trailing 69-54 with under two minutes left, the Sugar Bears (8-10, 4-5 Southland) scored six unanswered to cut it to nine with just under a minute to play, getting a layup from Briana Trigg and another from Taylor Sells off a Hannah Langhi steal. Trigg would get another steal for the Sugar Bears, eventually leading to a pair of Ayanna Trigg free throws to make it 69-60.
After ACU (15-2, 7-1) pushed it back to 11 with a pair of free throws, Sells got back-to-back layups to make it a 7-point game with 42 seconds remaining.
The Sugar Bears would be whistled for a technical foul on the other end of the floor on the ensuing possession, leading to a pair of ACU free throws. The Wildcats would add a third free throw 12 seconds later when Dominique Golightly hit 1 of 2 with 24 seconds remaining to set the final score.
Sells led the Sugar Bears with 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting, tying her career high, while also leading the team with 4 assists. Briana Trigg added 15 points, eclipsing her previous high of 14 set last weekend at Nicholls. Hannah Langhi had 10 points, while Carley Hudspeth added 7 – knocking down a pair of 3-pointers, the only Sugar Bear to connect from long range. Ayanna Trigg, who had a season-high 13 rebounds last weekend at Nicholls, had another solid day on the boards by pulling in a game-high 12.
Breanna Wright led ACU with 31 points, hitting 5-of-8 from 3-point range. In all, the Wildcats were 8-for-16 from beyond the arc while the Sugar Bears were 2-for-10. Wright as also 8-for-8 from the free throw line and Alyssa Adams was 9-for-12 as ACU went 28-for-34 (82.4 percent). The Sugar Bears were 12 of 19 at the line (63.2).
The Sugar Bears outrebounded the Wildcats 33-31 and won the turnover battle 17-12, getting 22 points off turnovers, but it would not be enough to knock off the Wildcats as ACU won for the fourth straight time in the series.
After traveling to Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State next week, the Sugar Bears return to action in the Farris Center on Feb. 5 against Lamar.
Sugar Bears rally late but come up short against ACU
Trailing 69-54 with under two minutes left, the Sugar Bears (8-10, 4-5 Southland) scored six unanswered to cut it to nine with just under a minute to play.
