CONWAY, Ark. – Much like the first matchup, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team slugged it out with defending champion Central Arkansas, but once again, the Sugar Bears pulled away in the third quarter as the Colonels were defeated, 60-42, Saturday afternoon at the Farris Center.
 
The loss put Nicholls at 12-13 overall and 7-7 in league play. UCA has now won five straight against the Colonels, improving to 18-7 and 11-3.
 
The Sugar Bears put the clamps down in the second half, holding Nicholls to just six field goals. The Colonels had a 24-23 lead going into the break before being outscored 18-11 in the third. UCA put the game away with a 19-7 final quarter.
 
Cassidy Barrios led the Colonels with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and had four steals. Tia Charles also reached double figures with 11 points while adding six steals.
 
UCA shot 52.2 percent for the game, led by 29 points from Taylor Baudoin on 13 of 17 from the field. The Sugar Bears had a plus-13 margin on the glass, resulting in a 14-2 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Neither team took control until UCA grabbed a 23-15 lead with 4:30 to go in the first half. But Nicholls held the Sugar Bears scoreless the rest of the quarter, ending the half on a 9-0 run. Barrios canned a 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining to send Nicholls into the locker room with the lead.
 
But in the third, UCA hit a pair of 3-pointers for a quick 10-0 run. Nicholls trimmed the deficit to 41-35 at the end of the quarter; however, the Sugar Bears outscored the Colonels 14-3 in the early minutes of the fourth to put the game away.
 
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The Colonels return home for their final three home games, starting Wednesday, Feb. 21 against McNeese. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.