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Big game for the Sugarbears (9-11, 3-5) as Northwestern State (7-14, 3-5) comes to Conway for a 6 pm tip-off on Saturday Feb 3rd! The winner of this game will take sole possession of 3rd place in the SLC Eastern Division. The Sugarbears are playing well and it should be a great game!

Big game indeed. they'll be more on this game later, but I hope everyone that can will welcome the girls back to the Farris Center! The girls will be at home the next 2 Saturdays.

We're definitely looking forward to the game. I think the Southland may have had a handle on Caronica over the first four weeks of the schedule, but it wouldnt surprise me one bit if she had another great game, this time at home.

They actually have a player, Chassidy Jones, who is outscoring Caronica. But because she hasn't played in 75 percent of her team's games, Caronica is still first in Southland scoring.

Has she been injured or a transfer?

That, I do not know. I assume injury. She's played in 13 of their 21 games.

"In the 13 games since Northwestern State’s Chassidy Jones, the SLC Player of the Week on Jan. 2, returned to the basketball court after regaining her eligibility, she has made quite an impact...."

That was from the SLC Weekly release...

and this was from their school's website:

Lady Demons welcome Chassidy Jones back for Friday's game at Eastern Washington
12/14/2006
WOMEN'S HOOPS: Chassidy Jones returns to action after being ruled academically ineligible for the first eight games of the season..."

So it would appear she was academically ineligible! I'm smart, I think I'm still eligible at this point...to post one more time somewhere...

ok scouting report time....

6 pm tomorrow night in the Farris Center, a very athletic Northwestern St. team comes to Conway. Both teams come in winners of 3 out of their last 4 games, all in conference play, and both teams enter tied for 3rd in the SLC East with identical 3-5 conference marks. This game features the top 2 scorers in the SLC, even though NW State's player is not technically eligible for the title as of right now, or probably wont be.

Chassidy Jones, a preseason 2nd team all SLC pick, leads the Lady Demons averaging 19.5 points and 8.4 rebounds a game. The Lady Demons have 3 players who are in double figures scoring per game.

Come on out and support the Sugar Bears!

Sugar Bears drop a heart breaker tonight...73-71.

Not blaming the loss on the officials, because they screwed NWST on multiple occasions as well, but that was quite possibly the worst crew I've seen come through the Farris Center in a long, long time. Wildly inconsistent, as they'd have spells where they'd call every hard breath or grazing of an arm hair ... then go through a stretch where they'd let people hammer each other into submission.

I had a guy say to me "this is some of the worst basketball I've ever seen", and I believe a lot of that had to do with the officiating. For one they let the game get sloppy with the overly physical play (at times) and they had the players about 14 kinds of confused as to what was a foul and what wasn't. In all there were 47 fouls called, and probably an equal number not called.

Shannon Oden had a nice, clean block erased by an anticipatory whistle, and Allyson Sample probably needs this site after a few no-calls on some drives.

All that being said, it's tough to win games when you go 7:32 without a field goal. Sugar Bears build an 8-point first-half lead and all looks well, then you go through that spell and the Lady Demons are up 11 in the second half.

But, I think it's encouraging the way the Sugar Bears played down the stretch – particularly Renita Dobbins. You could see during the last two minutes that she was hellbent on winning that game, even if she had to do it herself. And, she damn near pulled it off. She was just taking it to the rack, knowing she'd convert and/or get fouled.

I guess maybe there in the final 30 seconds or so, she might've gotten a little overzealous and might could've kicked it out to a shooter ... but when you're that sure of yourself, playing as well as you are, being a senior who has been through it all, and knowing the outside shooting has been suspect all night, why not?

Take that thing to the rack and see what happens. It's good to see somebody want the ball at the end of the game. Opposing teams are going to throw the house at Caronica, so it's nice having somebody like Renita who can stick the dagger in you as well (she's done it a time or two in her career. Ask OBU or Henderson or ... I'm sure there have been others). If she gets that last shot to go, or gets another whistle, you're looking at UCA being down just two and then it's a whole different deal. Girl makes one FT then Sharece comes back with a 3 ... you've got OT.

Tough loss, particularly on the home floor ... but maybe it'll serve as added motivation when the Sugar Bears travel down there for the last game of Caronica, Renita and Shannon's careers.

Yes it is too bad when the officials become the focal point of the game and not the players! Good officiating is suppose to go unnoticed by the fans and highly appreciated by the coaches and players.

Here is a pic of one of the refs a little confused about what sport he was actually officiating!