After the season-opener tonight, the Sugar Bears will host Alabama in a return matchup  from last season - a game the Sugar Bears led at the half before falling 87-76 late in the game. After the showdown against Alabama. the Sugar Bears will head to Lubbock, Texas, on Nov. 25 to take on the Lady Raiders of Texas Tech, a team that made it to the NCAA tournament last year.

The Sugar Bears return 10 player, including all five starters, and 90 percent of their scoring from last year's team. They will be seeking their fourth straight home-opening victory under  head coach Matt Daniel.

The men's basketball team will have a big road challenge when they travel to Palo Alto, Calif., to take on the Stanford Cardinals out of the Pac-12 Conference at 9:05 p.m. (CST) today. The game can be heard locally on KUCA-FM, 91.3.

Stanford  finished 15-16 overall last season and 7-11 in the Pac-10 Conference. The Cardinals return all but one player from last year’s team.

“It’s going to be a good challenge to start the season against a team like Stanford," said UCA head coach Corliss Williamson. “We hope it helps us down the road to play tough competition early in the sesaon. We’re excited to get on the court and see where we are and what we need to work on."

The Bears, 5-24 last year in Williamson’s first season, return three seniors and five players with experience. Two redshirts and eight newcomers round out the squad.

Senior guard Mark Rutledge is UCA’s leading returning scorer after averaging 9.6 points per game last season. Senior guard Dewan Clayborn averaged 8.7 points and 2.3 assists a year ago, and also connected on 31 three-pointers. The third senior is forward Chris Henson, who played in 25 games last season and averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds, second on the team.

The Bears complete their two-game road swing at Sacramento State on Sunday. UCA’s first home game is at 7 p.m. Wednesday when they host Philander Smith at the Farris Center.

The Sugar Bears got the call last Sunday that they were one of the 16 teams invited to compete in the second annual Women's Basketball Invitational. They are in their first Division I postseason tournament in their first year eligible for it.

The WBI is a single-elimination tournament that takes place on different campuses. The team with the higher seed hosts the game. The Sugar Bears (21-11) are the No. 7 seed and UAB (16-15) is a No. 2 seed. The tournament bracket is divided into East and West regions with seedings 1-8.

Sugar Bear Head Coach Matt Daniel told ucasports.com that being selected for the tournament "says a lot" about the team's success this season.

"It shows that committees are paying attention and taking notice of everything being accomplished," he said.

Athletic Director Brad Teague added, "We're excited and honored to be competing in the postseason in our first season of eligibility. We are proud of our student-athletes and coaches for their hard work and success this season."

Tickets are $5 for general admission. $10 for reserved seats and $15 for courtside seating. You can buy tickets here.

Students are being admitted free.

The Sugar Bears (21-11, 11-5 conference) struggled to keep up with the Cowgirls' (26-6, 15-1 conference) quick pace offense in the first half. A Courtney Duever three-pointer got the Sugar Bears within five points at 30-25 with 2:48 left in the first half but a couple of three-point shots from Cowgirl Caitlyn Baggett late in the second half pushed the lead to 37-26 at halftime.

The second half spelled doom for the Sugar Bears. The Cowgirls started the half with a 13-0 run behind tournament MVP Ashlyn Baggett's shooting performance. She slashed to the basket, hit tough mid-range jumpers and connected on long distance three-pointers.

Baggett and her twin sister, Caitlyn, capped off a 17-5 run when Caitlyn broke the Sugar Bears down off the dribble and found Ashlyn wide open in the corner for a three-pointer that put McNeese State up 54-31 with 14 minutes left in the game.

Southland Conference Player of the Year Megan Herbert tried to keep the Sugar Bears in the game. She connected on a couple of tough inside baskets but a fifth personal foul sent her to the bench at the three-minute mark.

Ashlyn Baggett led all players with 23 points. Caitlyn Baggett had 15 points and led the team with six assists. Kendra Wells contributed with nine points and led the team in rebounds with 13.

Herbert and Duever finished the game with identical numbers - 13 points, six rebounds, and three assists.

Courtney Duever

The Sugar Bears hopes of making the NCAA tournament are over but they still have a shot at making it to the Women's NIT or WBI tournament. 

"This team has accomplished a lot of things and nobody can erase that," Matt Daniel,  the Sugar Bears' head coach told ucasports.com after the game. "I'm not sure if we've played our last game. Regardless, what this group has been able to accomplish is pretty incredible."

The win was the first ever against the Roadrunners and it put the Sugar Bears in position for a higher seed in the Southland Conference Tournament that will be held in Katy, Texas, next week.  

UTSA got on the scoreboard first with a three-pointer from guard Alysse Davis. On the next possession, Sugar Bears guard Nakeia Guiden got loose in the corner for a three-pointer of her own to tie the game.  

UTSA kept the Sugar Bears on their toes in the first half with tough shots and good defense. A power move and layup from UTSA's Ashleigh Franklin pushed the Roadrunners lead to 23-17 with 6:06 left in the half. Megan Herbert answered with a basket and a free throw to cut the lead to 23-20.  

The second half was all Sugar Bears. Herbert's  jumper right out of the locker room cut the Roadrunners lead to one point at 31-30. The Sugar Bears traded baskets back and forth with the Roadrunners until a Guiden layup, followed by a three-pointer, put the Sugar Bears up 41-36 with 17:56 left in the game. Britany Gowans back-to-back  three-pointers and Herbert's 13 straight points in four minutes secured the Sugar Bears lead.  

Herbert led all scorer with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Guiden scored a season-high 23 points and five rebounds, hitting all six of her free throws. Courtney Duever chipped in 14 points. Ashley Gardner led the Roadrunners with 15 points while Franklin had 14  and Davis had 12 points.  

After the game, Sugar Bears head coach Matt Daniel praised his team's composure.  

"We didn't play good basketball in the first half but we kept our poise, executed the game plan and played lockdown defense in the second half," Daniel said.  

Megan Herbert

He also praised Guiden. "Guiden is playing fearless right now," he said. "She's leading our team, taking care of the basketball and making good basketball decision."  

Herbert said the win was a big accomplishment for the Sugar Bears.  

"[UTSA] is a very good athletic team who play very hard," she said. "This won't be the last time we will see them."  

The Sugar Bears will be on the road for their final game of the regular season Saturday when they  travel to Corpus Christi, Texas, to take on the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Lady Islanders at American Bank Coliseum.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. It's Senior Night for the Sugar Bears.

The  Sugar Bears (17-10, 9-5 conference) will need help from junior guard Nakeia Guiden when they take on UTSA (14-13, 10-4 conference). Guiden scored a season-high 21 points in the 18-point victory against the Lady Lions. The Sugar Bears will also look to conference-leading scorer and rebounder Megan Herbert.

Last Saturday, Herbert was limited to four field goal attempts for the entire game. She had 11 points in the game and led the team in assists with four. Herbert had a monsterous 25-point, 20-rebound game against Nicholls State a week ago.

The Sugar Bears will rely on Desiree Rogers and Britney Gowans for depth after forward Westin Taylor went out with a season-ending ACL injury.

The Sugar Bears also will have to contain UTSA's leading scorer Amber Gregg, who set a school record by making 17 free throws in a game against Texas State last week. Gregg finished the game with a season-high 29 points in the 17-point victory. The Roadrunners set another school record Feb. 23 against Texas A&M Corpus Christi by scoring 93 points.

Megan Herbert

The Roadrunners took a 97-89 overtime victory in their last visit to the Farris Center.

The Sugar Bears have already secured a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament but a win against the Roadrunners could give them a better seeding in the tournament. UTSA would clinch the West Division title with a victory tonight.

It was the Nakeia Guiden show as she single-handedly picked the Lady Lions apart on her way to a season-high 21 points. In the first half, Guiden was four-for-four from the field and a perfect three-for-three from the free-throw line. The Sugar Bears as a team shot 15 for 25 (60 percent) from the field and 71 percent from behind the three-point line in the first half. 

The Sugar Bears (17-10, 9-5 conference) jumped on the Lady Lions quick with Desiree Rogers scoring the Sugar Bears first two points, followed by a three-pointer by guard Micah Rice and Rogers following that with a three-pointer of her own. 

The Lady Lions (12-14, 4-10 conference) tried to keep the game close early with jumpers from Rachel Mackie and Jessica Sommers but a missed assignment left junior guard Marci Moffitt wide open for a corner three that extended the Sugar Bear lead to 22-10 with 10:30 left in the first half. 

Freshman center Courtney Duever got in the action for the Sugar Bears when she hit a top of the key three-pointer that pushed the Sugar Bears lead to 29-13 in the first half. Sophomore sensation Megan Herbert was held to two points and two rebounds at halftime with no field goal attempts in the half. 

The second half was much the same for the Sugar Bears. The Sugar Bears made tough baskets all night, including two from Guiden. Guiden hit a jumper to put the Sugar Bears up 68-42 with 7:35 left in the game. The largest lead came when Sugar Bear Britney Gowans hit her second three-pointer of the game to put the Sugar Bears up by 30 points, 74-44. 

Guiden led all scores with 21 points, going a perfect six-for-six from the field and a perfect nine-for-nine from the free-throw line. Rogers added 12 points and Herbert and Duever pitched in with 11 points each. 

Nakeia Guiden

"We had a good week of preparations and got a good lift from Nakeia and Desiree," head coach Matt Daniel said after the game. "We played a good game defensively and even though Megan didn't lead us in points today, she led the team with four assists and no turnovers." 

The Sugar Bears return home for their final home game of the regular season on Wednesday when they face western division leader UTSA. UTSA is coming into the Farris Center 14-13 overall and 10-4 conference record.

The conference game, which was scheduled for Saturday, was moved to Sunday because of winter weather that hit the state over the weekend. The small crowd didn't deter the Sugar Bears from playing hard for 40 minutes. They dominated the Lady Mavericks in every aspect of the game.

It was no secret that the Sugar Bears wanted to get the ball down in the post to Megan Herbert, who was coming off her 14th double-double performance of the season. Herbert scored the Sugar Bears' first six points with good post moves and tough layups. At halftime, Herbert was recognized as the fastest player to score 1,000 career points in Sugar Bear history.

The Sugar Bears applied pressure to the Lady Mavericks, forcing them to commit 15 turnovers and shoot 9-24 from the field in the first half. The Sugar Bears continued to make runs at the Lady Mavericks. Penetration by Destinee Rogers and a kick-out to her sister Desiree for a 3-pointer capped a 19-7 run by the Sugar Bears in the first half.

The Sugar Bears continued the attack in the second half. Head Coach Matt Daniel started pulling his starters at the 6:30 mark. After a steal by the Sugar Bears that led to a 3-pointer by Britney Gowans that put the Sugar Bears up 59-33, Daniel pulled all the starters for the final three minutes.

Herbert finished the game with 15 points and five rebounds. Courtney Duever had 10 points and 11 rebounds, recording her second double-double of the season.  The Sugar Bears also got good bench play from Desiree Rogers and Gowans. Gowans had eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Rogers chipped in with eight points and led the team with four steals.

The Sugar Bears will be on the road for their next four games. Their first stop will be San Marcos, Texas, to take on Texas State University at 7 p.m. at the Straham Coliseum.

The Sugar Bears (13-8, 5-3 conference) got another double-double performance from Megan Herbert and good bench play from sophomore forward Westin Taylor, who contributed four 3-pointers in the first half, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Lady Demons (9-12, 4-4 conference).

The Sugar Bears had a sloppy first half, committing 13 turnovers and allowing 20 points in the paint.  The Lady Demons only committed eight turnovers and gave up 12 points in the paint. The final points of the first half came when a Lady Demons player dished the ball to a wide open Jasmine Bradley who hit the corner shot as time expired, cutting the Sugar Bears' lead to 32-30 at the half.

Both teams came out for the second half fired up and ready to play.  Bradley got the Lady Demons going first by hitting a 3-pointer but the Sugar Bears answered right back with a three of their own by Rogers.

The Sugar Bears held a 49-44 lead with 7:36 left in regulation before Jessica McPhail stepped up for the Lady Demons. McPhail hit a 3-pointer to give Northwestern State a 55-54 lead with 3:43 left. Both teams scored on their next two possessions and a missed 3-pointer by McPhail gave the Sugar Bears the ball and the last possession of regulation play.

With the crowd on their feet, Sugar Bear guard Micah Rice started right then drove left to the basket but misfired on a contested layup. She got her own rebound but missed the put back that would have given the Sugar Bears the win.

In overtime, Sugar Bears forward Nakeia Guiden hit free throws to tie the game at 70 with 51 seconds left. The Lady Demons responded by turning up the defense and score the next six out of eight points to finish off the Sugar Bears.

After the game, Taylor said, "At times we looked good, at times we looked bad. Me nor my teammates didn't play hard for the whole 45 minutes of the game."

Herbert again led the Sugar Bears with 25 points and 16 rebounds. Taylor had 12 points off the bench and Rogers chipped in with 10.

Megan Herbert

Forward Jordan James led the Lady Demons with a phenomenal game.  James had 23 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a block shot. McPhail added 20 points.

The Sugar Bears remain on their home floor for their next game when they face the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Farris Center.

Tonight's game is a rematch between the Southland Conference rivals. In their last meeting two weeks ago, the Sugar Bears (13-7, 5-2 conference) handed the Lady Demons (8-12, 3-4 conference) their first conference loss of the season, beating them 70-52 in a rowdy Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches, La. In that game, the Sugar Bears used an 11-0 run to start the second half, then added a 15-0 run midway through the half to pull away and win.

Megan Herbert led that effort with a double-double performance, scoring a game high 19 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Guards Nakeia Guiden and Micah Rice scored 16 points and 13 points, respectively. The Sugar Bears shot 52.1 percent for the game and a whopping 61.5 percent in the second half. The Lady Demons shot 30 percent from the floor and committed 11 turnovers.

In tonight's game, the Sugar Bears will have to stop senior guard Brittany Houston who is coming off a 20-point performance in the Lady Demons' 92-76 win over conference rival Southeastern Louisiana University. Freshman guard Jasmine Bradley added 14 points, 8 assists, and 6 steals. Four of the five starters for the Lady Demons scored in double figures in that game.

Admission to the game tonight is free.

Sugar Bears

That love added up to $16,820 in donations for the program in addition to the other awards and accolades the players received at the Fan Appreciation Supper. The event was organized by Rush Harding and Bruce Newcomber.

The Sugar Bears finished the season with a record of 21-8 and a second-place finish in the Southland Conference. The team's improvement over last season's dismal 6-23 record set a new conference record.  

“What a joy the resurgence of our women’s basketball team has been,” Brad Teague, athletic director, told the audience.

Sugar Bears coach Matt Daniel praised the athletic departments "family environment." Coaches and athletes from all sports support one another and treat each other like family. As an example of that environment, he explained how the department is trying to help new men's basketball coach Corliss Williamson to the university.

Sugar Bears basketball team

“Until coach Williamson gets moved to Conway, Corliss has a key and garage door opener to my house,” Daniel said. “That is how much of a family environment it is here.”

Daniel listed all the achievements, awards and records the Sugar Bears accomplished during the season and then introduced the crowd to the team. After that, the audience watched a highlight reel of the season.

UCA President Allen Meadors also took the podium to congratulate the Sugar Bears on their outstanding performance off the court. He complimented the team for its average GPA of 3.21.

At the end of the event, Teague presented Daniel with a trophy filled with the money from the night's ticket sales, about $1,570. Donations added another $15,5250. Newcomer and Harding were presented with basketballs autographed by the team.