The Central Arkansas women’s basketball team is preparing for its second game in Florida this week, facing Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) on Saturday. This matchup is a repeat of the last two ASUN Championship Finals and will start at 1 p.m. CT.
Central Arkansas enters the contest with an 8-5 record overall and a 1-0 mark in ASUN play after defeating Stetson 65-43 earlier in the week. The team has now won its ASUN opener for three consecutive seasons. Shae Littleford led Central Arkansas with 15 points, marking her seventh game this season scoring at least that amount. Linda Amaning contributed eight points and nine rebounds, including five offensive boards. The Sugar Bears’ defense limited Stetson to just 17 points in the second half.
With this victory, head coach Tony Kemper improved his record to 27-8 in ASUN games since taking over as head coach. It also marked consecutive wins over Stetson.
Saturday’s game will be the fifth meeting between Central Arkansas and FGCU in the past three years, including regular season matchups and championship finals. FGCU has won all four previous encounters, but changes in coaching staff and roster have given the Eagles a new look this year. FGCU holds a 5-7 overall record after opening conference play with a win against North Alabama by a score of 51-44.
Sinai Douglas leads FGCU with an average of 10.3 points per game. She also tops the team in field goals made (44), rebounds per game (5.4), assists (36), and steals (16). Douglas is second on the squad for three-pointers made (13) and free throws made (23).
This year’s FGCU team relies less on three-point shooting compared to previous seasons, averaging just over five made threes per game with a shooting percentage of 27.2 percent from beyond the arc. Defensively, they allow only 63 points per game while holding opponents to shooting percentages of 38 percent from the field, 26 percent from three-point range, and 62 percent from the free throw line.
The upcoming contest will take place at FGCU’s home court in Fort Myers and will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can also follow live statistics online or listen to Steve Owens call the action on radio station 91.3 The Bear.
