UCA’s women’s basketball Sugar Bears came up short with the final score of 45-63 in their game against the Stetson Hatters on Saturday, Jan. 5.

To start the game, the Sugar Bears won the tipoff and entered an energetic first half despite it being the team’s first time competing against their new opponents.

“We wanted to stay focused, execute our game plan, and be confident in who we are as a team,” junior guard Carley Hudspeth said.

The players made moves on both the offensive and defensive ends in the first quarter.

The first shot of the game was a three-point shot by Hudspeth while junior forward Lucy Ibeh racked up 6 rebounds off the board throughout the period that resulted in a three-point lead of 10-7.

Entering the second quarter, UCA was determined to keep its advantage.

The Sugar Bears continued to utilize their defensive skills by upping their defences and forcing Stetson into a few turnovers.

They kept the same momentum while dominating the board as they collected eight offensive rebounds compared to their opponent, who only tallied one.

“We executed our defensive game plan well, and we hit some crucial outside shots. We also grabbed some huge rebounds, which helped to give us momentum as well,” Hudspeth said.

By the end of the second quarter, Ibeh, senior Savanna Walker and freshman Randrea Wright had put up six points each, contributing to the half-time lead of 24-21.

The second half of the game is when the Sugar Bears started to stumble.

The Hatters entered the third quarter with the same determination UCA had at the start, which changed the direction of the game. 

Stetson began working its offensive plays by scoring points back to back inside the paint. As the Hatters’ points went up, the Sugar Bears began to fall behind.

By the end of the third quarter, UCA had only scored five points, putting Stetson in the lead with 44-29.

The downhill slope continued in the fourth quarter as the pressure to catch up became too much for the Sugar Bears, and their number of turnovers reached double digits.

Even though UCA reestablished their offensive grit and started putting up shots towards the end of the fourth, it was not enough to make a comeback.

“We started off really well, but unfortunately dug ourselves into a bit of a hole [in the] second half and just did not have enough time to get out. We will learn from this, keep our heads up, and focus on getting some wins on the road this next week and get back on the right track,” Hudspeth said. 

The Stetson Hatters are ranked third in ASUN’s Eastern division, while the Sugar Bears rank fifth in the Western division.

The Sugar Bears will be on the road for their next game against Kennesaw State on Wednesday, Feb. 9.