CONWAY -- Wednesday's game at the Farris Center didn't mean much for the Central Arkansas women's basketball team's ultimate goal.
And considering it won't meet Abilene Christian again this season, the 80-70 comeback victory won't be used as a confidence-builder for a later matchup. But the game had meaning to Maggie Proffitt and the Sugar Bears' other three seniors.
Proffitt had a team-high 23 points, 16 coming in the second half, to help UCA (18-4, 10-2) rally from a 13-point first-quarter deficit to beat a team it lost to last month and once last season. The Wildcats (15-8, 9-2) -- who had their six-game winning streak snapped -- made 13 three-pointers in beating UCA last month, and their victory over the Sugar Bears last year was the difference in the Southland regular-season title.
"It was definitely personal," said Proffitt, who missed four of her first five shots before finishing 8 of 15 with four three-pointers. "We've been playing against that group of girls since we were freshmen. We said, 'We cannot go out losing to them because we're not going to get a chance to see them again.' "
Abilene Christian is ineligible for the Southland Conference Tournament while transitioning to Division I, so Wednesday was the last game between the teams that have the most league victories in the past two seasons.
Abilene Christian beat UCA 83-76 on Jan. 7, and Wednesday's matchup looked to be going the same way. Suzzy Dimba and her teammates drove to the rim for baskets so easily that twice in the first seven minutes UCA Coach Sandra Rushing used a timeout.
Abilene Christian led 24-11 seven minutes into the game and 26-19 at the end of the first quarter.
Rushing said she was never worried because the defense was designed to let Abilene Christian drive rather than take three-pointers. The Wildcats made 13 threes in last month's victory over the Sugar Bears.
Dimba had 33 points, but the Wildcats made 3 of 10 three-pointers while being held to 15 fewer attempts than their per-game average.
"You have to pick your poison with such a great team like Abilene, and they are a great team," Rushing said. "I'm glad we don't have to see them anymore."
UCA eventually slowed Abilene Christian's drives to the basket, and the Sugar Bears' offense perked up. UCA scored six consecutive points to get within 27-25 in the second quarter, then closed the half on an 11-3 run, punctuated by Olivia McWilliams' three-pointer from the right wing at the buzzer that made it 42-41 at halftime, UCA's first lead since it was 2-0.
"We knew then, 'OK, let's go, we got this,' " Proffitt said.
McWilliams, Taylor Baudoin and Raquel Logan each scored to open the second half and push UCA's lead to 48-42. From there, UCA wasn't challenged, holding Abilene Christian to seven third-quarter points.
Baudoin had 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Brianna Mullins had 10 points and 8 assists for the Sugar Bears, who were 23 of 38 from the floor while outscoring the Wildcats 38-22 in the middle two quarters. UCA shot 53.4 percent for the game.
"We just have to settle down and run our offense and make their defense work," Rushing said.
The victory put UCA in sole possession of first place in the Southland standings with six games remaining. Rushing said that doesn't mean much considering it could lose that distinction if Lamar wins its game tonight.
But there's still plenty of meaning for the Sugar Bears, who next play Saturday at Nicholls State.
"Yes, we want it," Rushing said of the regular-season title. "But, at the same time, we talk about winning the tournament and getting to the NCAA. Of course we want it. But, this game was not going to determine anything for us, except that it was a personal thing."
Sports on 02/09/2017