The Sugar Bears won a close game against Albine Christian on Saturday when a last second shot gave them a score of 55-53.

This leaves the Sugar Bears with a record of 9-12 and 7-6 in conference games.

The game isn’t over until the buzzer goes off, and the Sugar Bears showed that every second counts.

With 35 seconds left, senior guard Savannah Walker made both free throws that put the score at 54-53.

With eight seconds left, sophomore guard Charlay Conway was fouled, going 1-2 at the line, leaving the score at 55-53.

The remaining seconds were used to stop a skilled 3-point shooter, but her shot was off and the Sugar Bears secured the victory.

According to UCA Sports, head Coach Sandra Rushing said, “I thought our girls showed a lot of heart, a lot of passion, and a lot of grit down the stretch. They wanted to win it. They worked hard.”

The game was pretty even in the first quarter with Albine Christian leading 10-6 halfway through. UCA had a 4 point run that tied the score at 10-10 with a minute left.

ACU made a layup with 32 seconds left but Savannah Walker sinked a 3-pointer with three seconds left, giving UCA a one-point lead at the end of the quarter.

Senior Hannah Langli put up 6 points at the start of the second quarter, putting the score at 19-12.

ACU responded with an 11-0 run, but the Sugar Bears were persistent and had a 5-0 run, regaining the lead at 24-23. After a layup from ACU, Walker responded with her own layup and the second quarter ended with UCA leading 26-25.

The game was not only a pink out, but also Senior Night and the seniors were recognized for their accomplishments and contributions to the team.

Walker said, “For the seniors, this game was personal. We were tired of being the ‘almost’ team and that it was time for a big win.”

After half time, the heat was turned up and the Sugar Bears went through the third quarter with a 13-6 run. ACU answered with a 10-2 run of their own, tying the score at 41-41 at the quarters end.

The 19 points scored in the third quarter helped the Sugar Bears get the win as they only scored 9 points in the last quarter. Timing was everything for this game, and those last few sunken free throws secured the victory.

Walker said, “It all came down to trusting each other. We took the lead and we knew we had to play the best defense of our lives, and the ball game would be ours.”

Junior forward Ibeh continues to be a key player for the Sugar Bears scoring 20 points with a field goal percentage of 69.2. Walker, key contributor, scored 11 points with 4 assists.

Anna McLeod was the leading scorer for Albine Christian with 19 points.

Rushing said, “We’ve got a big one on Monday. I’m very proud of these ladies. This was a big win for us!”

You can catch the Sugar Bears next game at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3 in the Farris Center where the Sugar Bears will face Southeastern Lousiana.