UCA SPORTS INFORMATION
NATCHITOCHES, La. — Through the first 39:49 of Saturday’s game, Northwestern State had made just one of five free throws. In the last 11 seconds the Lady Demons were four for four, providing the decisive points in the Lady Demons’ 52-47 victory Saturday at Prather Coliseum.
It was the fourth straight defeat for the UCA women (13-10, 6-6) and fourth in the last five games.
Trailing 48-47 with 12 seconds left, the Sugar Bears against the Lady Demons’ Arianne Ausmer on the inbound — sending Courtney Duever to the line for a one-and-one. Duever, who was 8-for-9 at the line to that point, missed the front end and the Lady Demons (9-13, 5-7) grabbed the rebound. Megan Herbert was whistled for her fifth foul, and Jasmine Bradley made both free throws to give NSU a 50-47 lead.
On the Sugar Bears’ ensuing possession, Britney Gowans misfired on a 3-point attempt with four seconds left, and UCA was again forced to foul. With 1.5 seconds left, Janelle Perez went to the line and made both, dealing the Sugar Bears their first defeat in Prather Coliseum since 2009.
The Sugar Bears led 18-17 at halftime, holding the Lady Demons to 8-of-25 shooting from the field. Leading 27-21 with just over 14 minutes to go, the Sugar Bears went cold as the Lady Demons went on an 11-1 run over the next three minutes and held the Sugar Bears to four points over a seven-minute span.
Trailing nine with 4:27 to go, the Sugar Bears put together a 12-4 run over the next three minutes, capped by a Gowans’ 3-pointer with 1:26 to go to draw within one at 48-47. That basket would prove to be the Sugar Bears’ final score, as they closed with a turnover, a missed free throw and two missed field goals.
Duever led the Sugar Bears with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Herbert added 12 and eight. Perez led the Lady Demons with 16 points, with Bradley and Keisha Lee adding 12 each and Bradley 10.
The Sugar Bears return home next week for two games, hosting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday and league-leader Sam Houston State on Saturday in UCA’s WBCA Pink Zone game.