JENNINGS, La. After 56 long days and 11 consecutive games without a win, the University of Central Arkansas Sugar Bears ended the program's longest drought with an 85-79 victory over McNeese State at Jennings High School on Saturday.
The Sugar Bears (3-16, 1-5 SLC) shot 54.5 percent from the floor, won the rebound battle over the Cowgirls (4-15, 2-3) 54-34, and had their highest offensive output of the season with 85 points.
They picked up their first Southland Conference victory of the season and gave head coach Ron Marvel his 490th career win on the Sugar Bears' bench.
"It feels unbelievable," said sophomore Meaghen Kelleybrew - who had a team and career-high 21 points on 9 of 11 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the year. "I've been wanting to win so bad. We knew it wasn't an unattainable goal, we just couldn't really see when it was going to come."
And it nearly didn't.
After a brilliant first half in which UCA led 48-32 and shot 58.8 percent from the field while forcing the perimeter-oriented Cowgirls into a five-of-22 performance on 3-point attempts (12 of 41 for the game), the Sugar Bears nearly gave the game away again in the second half.
As they've been prone to do, the Sugar Bears let the opposition storm back in the opening minutes of the second half.
Down 15, the Cowgirls went on a 14-0 run in just under four minutes to trail just 50-49 with 14:18 to play.
Having committed only eight turnovers in the first half, the Sugar Bears coughed it up 17 times in the second, and found themselves out of the offensive rhythm that had propelled them early on, as the Cowgirls staged their rally.
"In the first half we played outstanding," Marvel said. "We were shooting 60 percent and doing all the things we needed to do. Then we came back out in the second half and struggled and let them get back in it. We were getting any shot we wanted in the first half because our offense was clicking. Then all at once in the second half, the kids think they know a better offense and get to running their own game. And when that happens, well - that's what happens."
But unlike their previous second-half meltdowns, the Sugar Bears found an answer on Saturday settling in and holding the Cowgirls scoreless for more than 6:30 as the lead swelled back to 17 with five minutes to play.
McNeese State refused to go quietly, chipping away at the UCA lead and going on another barrage late until they trailed 82-77 with 35 seconds to go.
But down the stretch, Laura Beth Anderson who had a career-high 19 points to go along with eight assists hit three free throws while MSU's Courtnee' Hollins (who led all scorers with 27) misfired on a pair of long-range 3-pointers to help preserve the UCA lead.
It was a lead the Sugar Bears took early in the first half and never relinquished.
In an early 9-3 hole, UCA went on a 27-10 run over the next 10 minutes and took the lead for good with 14:28 to play in the first half when senior Allyson Sample hit a 3-pointer to push UCA ahead 14-11.
The Sugar Bear lead grew as large as 18 in the first half, with UCA going up 48-30 with 12 seconds to play when Jamye Adair scored inside off an excellent pass from Alex Velazquez.
Velazquez played her best game in a UCA uniform, scoring 10 points and hauling in a career-best 12 rebounds while shelling out three assists to zero turnovers and picking up a block and a steal.
"The two kids who stepped up tonight were Alex Velazquez and Meaghen Kelleybrew," Marvel said. "Those two really boosted us. Alex picked us up in the first half when they had jumped on us early. She got in there and got some shots down low that we had missed earlier on. When she got us going, the rest of the kids got going."
Velazquez narrowly missed having a double-double in the first half - having nine points and 10 rebounds.
Kelleybrew added 14 first-half points en route to her career high of 21.
Marvel said, "Meaghen made good squared up and when she was down low she'd make a move and put the ball in. She played the best game I've seen her play. She worked all night, was consistent, played defense, rebounded and took the ball to the hole."
And therein lies the reason Kelleybrew, an 11.5 percent 3-point shooter coming in, doubled her season total by canning three of four 3-pointers.
"It makes a lot of difference when you're getting a wide-open shot instead of a contested shot," she said. "When you get it and you're open, coach tells you to shoot it. So I was just staying within the flow of the offense, and the shots were falling.
"We kept talking about being smart and slowing down and controlling the ballgame," Kelleybrew continued. "We played more team ball this game. We shared the ball. You look at it, and everybody scored. Now we just need to cut down on the turnovers, but for the most part we played to win tonight instead of playing not to lose."
UCA nearly got a second consecutive double-double out of Kia Lee.
Lee followed a 10-point, 15-rebound effort at Lamar on Thursday with a 10-point, nine-rebound showing against the Cowgirls.
Sample, who had eight points, hit a pair of 3-pointers to move past Caronica Randle for ninth place on the school's career list with 101.
Kelleybrew recorded the 51st block of her career, putting her eighth all-time at UCA and just three behind Carone Harris for seventh.
The Sugar Bears will try for their second straight win on Thursday when they return to the Farris Center for a 7 p.m. battle with Southeastern Louisiana.
