The UCA basketball Sugar Bears overcame the Northern Alabama Lions in a close 69-52 match March 10, pushing forward in the Atlantic Sun Conference championship.
In the quarterfinal ASUN game at the UCA Farris Center against the Lions (15-17, ASUN 8-8), the Sugar Bears (20-10, ASUN 11-5) matched the opponent’s energy and then some, staying in the lead for each quarter.
“I told them at the end of the game, it was fun to watch that game when any rebound was contested both ways,” Kemper said. “It was hard to get them. I thought it was physical; I thought it was athletic.”
At the end of the first quarter, the Sugar Bears were up 23-19. Junior guard Jade Upshaw scored 9 points, aiding in her team’s lead.
In the second quarter, the Sugar Bears amped up the relentlessness, only allowing 8 points for the Lions — putting the score at 37-27.
By the third quarter, the Sugar Bear’s defense was all-in. The Lions only attempted one distance shot, giving the Sugar Bears a turnover advantage. Upshaw and junior guard Randrea Wright scored a combined 11 points in this quarter, helping the Sugar Bears get further ahead 52-38.
In the last quarter of the game, junior forward Cheyenne Banks channeled her inner Bear to defeat the Lions once and for all; Banks scored 12 points in seven shots.
Alongside her, junior guard Kinley Fisher finished the game with a pair of 3-point shots, confirming the Lions’ losing fate.
Upshaw said Banks’ performance during the game stood out to her.
“She really stepped up a lot and I’m very proud of her,” Upshaw said.
Kemp concurred that Banks’ performance was stellar.
“She was good in there tonight,” Kemp said. “It’s physical. Get the ball, get on balance, get the ball in the basket — those were important baskets.”
Upshaw said she has been looking forward to a moment like this.
“I was probably the most nervous I’ve been in a very long time to play a game just because I’m so excited,” she said. “I really feel like I get a lot of confidence from my teammates and from my coach. We just have a lot of chemistry, and we’re just able to kind of feed off each other.
“So I think that’s just a huge part. Then the crowd tonight was absolutely amazing. It’s kind of an unbelievable feeling just to be here right now because it’s all I’ve prayed for and I’ve worked for.”
Kemper said the team had an outstanding performance thanks to the outstanding team dynamic.
“We really complement each other pretty well — just look at our post plan,” Kemp said. “I can sub another one in and Liz’s [freshman forward Elizabeth Abriara] got a completely different set of tools and I think when you go down our roster, we’re a little bit that way everywhere.”
UCA played Eastern Kentucky University (22-10, 9-7) on Tuesday, March 12 for the ASUN Championship semifinals. This was the Sugar Bears’ first time playing in an ASUN semifinal game, as well as the program’s first time hosting the ASUN basketball championship.