by Josh Goff
It’s been said around UCA several times that “there will never be another Carone Harris.”
And you know what? Caronica Randle is cool with that.
Randle took a big step in breaking out of Harris’ shadow and broke in UALR’s gorgeous Stephens Center as she broke UCA’s single-game scoring record (the validity of which is debatable) by pouring in 49 points as the Sugar Bears defeated their second Division I opponent in four days – toppling the Lady Trojans 80-70.
It was the second year in a row the Sugar Bears scored 80 against UALR, winning 80-62 a year ago.
UCA got off to a hot start, running out to an 8-0 lead in the first 1:35 and on a Renita Dobbins 3, a pair of Randle baskets and a free throw. UALR then went on a 23-8 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 25-18 lead. The Lady Trojans extended the lead to 11 with 5:16 to play in the half, leading 35-24.
The Sugar Bears took over for the remainder of the half, closing with a 13-4 run, including seven straight points from Randle. A Victoria Richards free throw made it 39-37 UALR at the break.
UALR’s Jocelyn Love, who had 16 points, opened the second half with a 3 before UCA went on another streak – scoring seven unanswered in the span of 1:37 – to regain the lead at 44-42.
With the Sugar Bears trailing by three, Randle took over again as she scored 12 of UCA’s next 14 points to vault them to a 65-55 lead with 9:56 to go.
UALR had one last surge as they went on a 13-0 run in a span of 3:06 to take three-point lead with 6:30 to go.
From there it was all Sugar Bears, as they closed the game on a 15-2 run led by, of course, Randle – who scored eight in the stretch. Allyson Sample, a transfer from Austin Peay, hit a pair of free throws and a 3 during the span, and Jamie Boone added a bucket inside.
It was another bad shooting night all around for the Sugar Bears, who shot 40.3 percent for the game but went only 11-for-43 (25.5 percent) outside of Randle’s 14-for-19 night. Randle also hit on 17-of-20 free throws.
Renita Dobbins was the only other Sugar Bear in double figures, posting 10 points to go along with her 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Victoria Richards led the way on the glass with 8, and Randle and Boone each contributed 6.
UCA had 11 steals and came out on the positive side of the Assist-to-Turnover ratio, picking up 16-to-12 on the heels of a 14-to-22 performance against UAPB on Wednesday.
The Sugar Bears did lose the rebounding battle 49-41, with UALR ripping down 25 offensive rebounds. The Sugar Bears had 21 on the offensive end.
Brittany Greer, a freshman from Conway, recorded a pair of blocks in 13 minutes of action.
The Sugar Bears conclude their exhibition season Monday, Nov. 14 in Jonesboro as they take on the Arkansas State Lady Indians in the Convocation Center.
Sugar Bears open exhibition season with win
November 02, 2005
by Josh Goff
The Sugar Bears got their three-game exhibition season underway with a sloppy 79-69 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in front of 382 fans in the only women’s game in the Farris Center until Jan. 7.
It wasn’t the most memorable of nights, but there were plenty of highlights to hold the home fans over as UCA outscored the Golden Lady Lions 42-34 in the second half to pick up the W on a night the team shot only 41.9 percent from the field, 60 percent from the free throw line and a paltry 17.6 percent from 3-pt. range.
As expected, junior Caronica Randle led the way for the Sugar Bears with 25 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes of action. She hit on 12 of her 16 free throw attempts, but converted only 6 of 18 from the field. Randle was also assessed a technical after a grandiose show of emotion after a layup in the second half that put the Sugar Bears ahead by nine.
Junior Renita Dobbins was the only other Sugar Bear in double figures with 10. She also dished out four assists – but had five of the team’s 19 turnovers. Dobbins had a few passes that would’ve been sure assists slip through the hands of the intended receiver, as the passes came from improbable and unanticipated angles.
Lauren Williams, a transfer from Pratt (Kan.) Community College, was the lone newcomer to start and pitched in with 9 points, and a team-leading 6 assists and 4 steals.
Jamie Boone, the big 6-foot-3 transfer from UA-Ft. Smith, showed good touch and post presence in her 17 minutes of action, registering 9 points and 7 boards. She also managed to pick up 5 fouls.
Maybe the most pleasant surprise of the night was the play of 5-6 freshman guard Mariesha Piggee, a former Little Rock Parkview standout. Piggee had 7 points, and scrapped her way to 7 rebounds and a steal in 12 minutes of play.
Shannon Oden, in her first action since her knee injury at UAM last season, picked up 5 points and 2 rebounds in 17 minutes. Victoria Richards had 7 points, 4 rebounds and a pair of steals for the Sugar Bears.
UAPB’s Whitney Price hit on 4-of-9 from 3-pt. territory, exposing one weakness in the Sugar Bears’ defense. The Lady Lions also got to the free throw line 35 times, although any advantage that might have served was negated by the Sugar Bears’ getting 40 free throw attempts.
The teams combined for 57 fouls, 41 turnovers, and 69 missed shots from the field.
UCA outscored UAPB 40-30 in the paint, 16-8 off turnovers, 19-16 on 2nd-chance points, 14-0 in fast break points.
