Box Score CONWAY, Ark. - Olivia Fouty's 16 points and 14 rebounds were not enough for the Islanders women's basketball team, as it dropped its Southland Conference opener to Central Arkansas, 63-59, at the Farris Center.
The Sugar Bears led by as many as 12 points in the first half, capitalizing on several open shots from behind the arc on their way to a 21-9 lead. Shay Weaver, the Islanders leading scorer picked up two quick fouls in the first four minutes of the game, but that did not stop the Islanders from chipping away at the lead.
A&M-Corpus Christi was able to exploit UCA's size mismatch several times throughout the first half, helping the team eventually take the lead at 24-23 on a Weaver 3-pointer with 5:46 left in the first half. The Islanders had key contributions from its post players, especially Ashanti Plummer. The Manhattan, N.Y. native scored nine points while pulling down three rebounds in the half, sparking the Islanders comeback. Olivia Fouty scored seven and grabbed seven rebounds, while Camesha Davis put in six points. The teams headed into the locker room tied at 34 apiece.
AMCC jumped out to a five-point lead on the Sugar Bears in the second half, scoring seven of the first nine points. The Islanders took a seven-point lead with 9:12 left on a free throw by Camesha Davis before UCA began to chip away at the lead, with many of their points coming from the charity stripe. The sugar Bears were able to get to the line 16 times in the second half compared to the islanders' three attempts. The Sugar Bears scored nine of their final 11 points via the free throw line.
The Islanders showed their size advantage on the boards, corralling 44 rebounds, including 16 on the offensive end, which they turned in to 12 second-chance points.
Weaver played much of the game with foul trouble, but finished with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from downtown. Camesha Davis and Plummer each finished with nine points and six rebounds, respectively
The Islanders will continue Southland Conference play on Thursday when the team returns to the Coastal Bend to take on the Lamar Lady Cardinals. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Stripes Court at the American Bank Center.
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