Jack Stephens Center hosted another rendition of the Governors I-40 Showdown rivalry between the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears basketball team and the Little Rock Lady Trojans.
Junior forward Cheyenne Banks started the scoring for the Sugar Bears with a layup for the 2-0 lead.
After junior guard Jade Upshaw grabbed a 3-pointer to put the Sugar Bears up 5-2, the Lady Trojans went on a small run to take the lead, 8-7.
The Trojans dominated the first quarter as they had a 16-7 at the end of the quarter.
The Sugar Bears roared back in the second quarter.
Junior Guard Leah Mafua got the scoring started with a 3-pointer, then junior guard Kinley Fisher nailed a 2-point jumper, and the baskets kept coming in bunches — layups, 3-pointers, free throws.
At halftime, the Sugar Bears held a 26-23 lead.
Coming out of the half, the Sugar Bear defense continued to impress as they only allowed 15 points in the third quarter, but it was a back-and-forth battle with both teams trying to gain the advantage.
Upshaw got the scoring started with a layup to give the Sugar Bears a 28-23 lead and junior guard Randrea Wright grabbed a layup coming out of the media timeout.
The Sugar Bear lead was 30-25.
At the end of the third quarter, the score was 43-38 in favor of the Sugar Bears.
The fourth and final quarter was an offensive show as both teams scored 20 each.
Randrea Wright wasted no time to get the scoring going as she scored the quarter’s first two points within eight seconds.
The Sugar Bears rode this momentum through the entire quarter and when the clock hit triple zeros, the Sugar Bears got their second consecutive win with a 63-58 final.
The leading scorer for the Sugar Bears was Leah Mafua with 16 points, followed by Jade Upshaw with 13.
Junior Forward Bree Stephens grabbed the most rebounds with eight, and she also recorded a block.
Stephens ranks among the top five in the ASUN conference with blocks, as she now has a total of 11 blocks through eight games.
The Sugar Bears aim to continue their winning ways as they play a home game for the first time since Nov. 14 against in-city rivals the Central Baptist College Lady Mustangs at 1 p.m. Dec. 9.