CONWAY, Ark. — It's been a sweet season for the Central Arkansas women's basketball team.
UCA is 13-6 overall and is second in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 5-1 record. Last season, the Sugar Bears finished 8-18, including 3-12 in league play, before hiring Tony Kemper as head coach.
"Our record wasn't that good last year," Junior guard Randrea Wright said. "To make a drastic change like that, I'm excited to see how far we'll make it."
Kemper was coaching at Marshall before signing on with the Sugar Bears. This isn't his first rodeo in Conway, as he was an assistant coach for the UCA men's and women's basketball teams from 2006 to 2012.
He's proud of his team for being competitive, especially at home in the Farris Center, where the Sugar Bears hold a spotless 7-0 record.
"I think we've learned how to win over time," Kemper said. "I think that's still a process that we're learning, but we've talked about how we want to be good and hard to beat in here from day one."
The Sugar Bears have improved defensively this season, holding opponents to the lowest field goal and three-point percentages in the conference.
Central Arkansas also leads the ASUN in defensive rebounds and blocked shots.
"This group doesn't have a lot of drama," Kemper said. "They play basketball, and they handle their schoolwork. When you have a group of people like that, you can press and move them. I think you are seeing that."
UCA travels to Georgia for a meeting with Kennesaw State on Saturday. Coverage from the KSU Convocation Center begins at 1:00 p.m. Central on ESPN+.