# 2023–24 Central Arkansas Sugar Bears basketball team

The 2023–24 Central Arkansas Sugar Bears basketball team represented the University of Central Arkansas during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Sugar Bears, led by first-year head coach Tony Kemper, played their home games at the Farris Center in Conway, Arkansas as members of the ASUN Conference.
The Sugar Bears finished the season 21–12, 11–5 in ASUN play, to finish in third place. They defeated North Alabama and Eastern Kentucky before falling to Florida Gulf Coast in the ASUN tournament championship game. They received an at-large bid to the WNIT, where they fell to eventual tournament champions Saint Louis in the first round.

## Previous season

The Sugar Bears finished the 2022–23 season 8–21, 3–15 in ASUN play, to finish in a tie for 13th (last) place. They failed to qualify for the ASUN tournament, as only the top 10 teams qualify.
On February 25, 2023, head coach Sandra Rushing announced that she would be stepping down as head coach after 11 years at the helm. On March 10, the school announced that Marshall head coach Tony Kemper would be named the team's new head coach.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Hendrix | W 85–25 | 1–0 | 14 – 2 tied | 8 – 2 tied | 3 – 2 tied | Farris Center (348) Conway, AR |
| November 11, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Samford | L 62–65 | 1–1 | 15 – L. Mafua | 7 – Banks | 2 – 3 tied | Pete Hanna Center (306) Homewood, AL |
| November 14, 2023* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | UT Martin | W 56–45 | 2–1 | 10 – Upshaw | 14 – Banks | 3 – Wright | Farris Center Conway, AR |
| November 18, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Northwestern State | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Postponed | Farris Center Conway, AR |
| November 20, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | | at Arkansas | L 67–81 | 2–2 | 16 – Upshaw | 9 – Banks | 3 – Upshaw | Bud Walton Arena (4,194) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 24, 2023* 2:00 p.m., MidcoSN+ | | at Denver Denver Classic | W 90–84 | 3–2 | 21 – Fisher | 16 – Stephens | 2 – 5 tied | Hamilton Gymnasium (352) Denver, CO |
| November 25, 2023* 12:00 p.m., MidcoSN+ | | vs. Nevada Denver Classic | L 65–67 $^{OT}$ | 3–3 | 16 – Fisher | 5 – Banks | 2 – 3 tied | Hamilton Gymnasium Denver, CO |
| November 29, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Lindenwood | W 77–64 | 4–3 | 19 – Fisher | 7 – 2 tied | 5 – Wright | Hyland Performance Arena (423) St. Charles, MO |
| December 2, 2023* 1:00 p.m. | | at Little Rock | W 63–58 | 5–3 | 16 – L. Mafua | 8 – Stephens | 3 – Stephens | Jack Stephens Center (657) Little Rock, AR |
| December 5, 2023* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Tulsa | L 58–60 | 5–4 | 18 – Fisher | 10 – Abiara | 3 – L. Mafua | Reynolds Center (1,050) Tulsa, OK |
| December 9, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Central Baptist | W 69–32 | 6–4 | 12 – Upshaw | 9 – 2 tied | 5 – Wright | Farris Center (380) Conway, AR |
| December 16, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Kansas | L 48–69 | 6–5 | 17 – Wright | 7 – Banks | 4 – Wright | Allen Fieldhouse (2,861) Lawrence, KS |
| December 20, 2023* 2:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Northwestern State Rescheduled from November 18 | W 75–57 | 7–5 | 18 – L. Mafua | 6 – Stephens | 2 – 3 tied | Farris Center (389) Conway, AR |
| December 29, 2023* 2:00 p.m. | | at Alabama A&M | W 65–59 | 8–5 | 20 – Fisher | 8 – Upshaw | 3 – 2 tied | Alabama A&M Events Center (1,103) Huntsville, AL |
| ASUN regular season |||||||||
| January 6, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at North Alabama | W 83–62 | 9–5 (1–0) | 24 – Fisher | 10 – Upshaw | 3 – Stephens | CB&S Bank Arena (1,272) Florence, AL |
| January 11, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Lipscomb | W 66–61 | 10–5 (2–0) | 17 – Wright | 11 – Stephens | 3 – Stephens | Farris Center Conway, AR |
| January 13, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Austin Peay | W 56–55 | 11–5 (3–0) | 19 – Upshaw | 8 – L. Mafua | 5 – L. Mafua | Farris Center (853) Conway, AR |
| January 18, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Eastern Kentucky | L 58–65 | 11–6 (3–1) | 15 – Upshaw | 9 – Stephens | 4 – L. Mafua | Baptist Health Arena (524) Richmond, KY |
| January 20, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Bellarmine | W 73–59 | 12–6 (4–1) | 23 – Fisher | 11 – Stephens | 3 – Fisher | Freedom Hall (483) Louisville, KY |
| January 24, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Queens | W 76–57 | 13–6 (5–1) | 16 – Wright | 8 – Abiara | 3 – Upshaw | Farris Center (478) Conway, AR |
| January 27, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Kennesaw State | W 67–60 | 14–6 (6–1) | 13 – 3 tied | 6 – Upshaw | 3 – 2 tied | KSU Convocation Center (794) Kennesaw, GA |
| February 1, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Jacksonville | W 71–58 | 15–6 (7–1) | 18 – Upshaw | 9 – Abiara | 4 – 2 tied | Farris Center (427) Conway, AR |
| February 3, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | North Florida | W 58–44 | 16–6 (8–1) | 16 – Upshaw | 9 – Banks | 4 – Stephens | Farris Center (722) Conway, AR |
| February 8, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Florida Gulf Coast | L 43–65 | 16–7 (8–2) | 14 – Upshaw | 5 – Stephens | 1 – 5 tied | Alico Arena (1,602) Fort Myers, FL |
| February 10, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Stetson | L 56–57 | 16–8 (8–3) | 16 – Stephens | 8 – Banks | 4 – L. Mafua | Edmunds Center DeLand, FL |
| February 15, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Bellarmine | W 63–57 | 17–8 (9–3) | 13 – Fisher | 7 – 2 tied | 4 – Wright | Farris Center (412) Conway, AR |
| February 17, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Eastern Kentucky | W 83–49 | 18–8 (10–3) | 16 – Wright | 9 – Stephens | 4 – L. Mafua | Farris Center (434) Conway, AR |
| February 22, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Austin Peay | L 42–54 | 18–9 (10–4) | 10 – L. Mafua | 7 – L. Mafua | 2 – L. Mafua | F&M Bank Arena (2,162) Clarksville, TN |
| February 24, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Lipscomb | L 59–65 | 18–10 (10–5) | 16 – Wright | 10 – Abiara | 2 – 3 tied | Allen Arena (276) Nashville, TN |
| March 2, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | North Alabama | W 89–63 | 19–10 (11–5) | 19 – Fisher | 7 – Abiara | 8 – Wright | Farris Center (495) Conway, AR |
| ASUN tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2024 7:00 p.m. | (3) | (6) North Alabama Quarterfinals | W 69–52 | 20–10 | 17 – Upshaw | 7 – Stephens | 4 – Stephens | Farris Center (1,110) Conway, AR |
| March 12, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (3) | (5) Eastern Kentucky Semifinals | W 68–57 | 21–10 | 17 – Fisher | 10 – Banks | 4 – Stephens | Farris Center (1,845) Conway, AR |
| March 16, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (3) | (1) Florida Gulf Coast Championship | L 47–76 | 21–11 | 11 – 2 tied | 8 – Upshaw | 2 – 2 tied | Alico Arena (2,259) Fort Myers, FL |
| WNIT |||||||||
| March 21, 2024* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Saint Louis First round | L 61–66 | 21–12 | 17 – Upshaw | 8 – Upshaw | 4 – 2 tied | Farris Center (625) Conway, AR |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. |||||||||
Sources: