The Sugar Bears pulled off another road win against West Georgia with a final score of 67-64.

The game began and ended with both teams having shifts in momentum with great offense and defense.

Senior guards Jade Upshaw, Leah Mafua, and sophomore guard Cheyanne Kemp led the team to victory by ending the game in double-figures with their defensive play.

Kemp’s 13 points helped propel the Sugar Bears to victory.

Senior forward Cheyenne Banks said that she felt good about her performance and the defensive effort late in the game.

“I had teammates who put me in positions to succeed offensively and I did my best to finish my end of the deal and do my job on defense,” Banks said.

Free throws and clutch shot-making came from both teams in the fourth quarter, until UCA coach Tony Kemper called a timeout to help set up new game-winning plays in the last minutes of the game.

“Coach Kemper took a time out with 4:44 left in the game as a way to settle the team and refocus on what needed to happen in those last moments of the game. We needed to get stops on defense and play our game on offense. I think it accomplished just that,” Banks said.

Banks talked about the challenging moments that took place during the game and how she felt about the team’s effort as a collective.

“The most challenging thing about the game for me was probably the fact that it was a dogfight until the end,” Banks said. “West Georgia made some plays so we just had to make sure that we didn’t get wrapped up in that and play our game. We’ve improved in our ability to stay level-headed in intense situations and it showed tonight. We also had a lot of people come in and make plays throughout the game, which is a huge plus.”

Kemper said that the key strategies and adjustments on the defense and offense were the top priorities going into this game.

Making free throws was another crucial part of securing the victory.

“Offensively I thought we did a good job attacking the paint,” Kemper said. “It was another night on the road where we struggled to make outside shots so we needed to score in other ways and we did. We also hit free throws at a high clip. Defensively we had trouble with their guards. They were quick and moved the ball well. I thought in the second half we did better against their actions and did just enough to win.”

Kemper said that he already has the team’s mindset on the upcoming matchup against Queens.

“We have a tough turnaround to play well at home against Queens on Saturday,” Kemper said.  “We will have one day of prep, which I think it’s most important to get the game plan in and then make sure they have the necessary energy to win at home”. 

This win continues the Sugar Bears’ seven-game winning streak and improves their record to 14-6 overall and 8-1 in ASUN games.