CONWAY, Ark. — Former Columbus High School and Starkville Academy standout Maggie Proffitt scored a team-high 23 points to lead the Central Arkansas women’s basketball team to a 62-30 victory against New Orleans on Saturday.
The victory kept the Sugar Bears (15-7) atop the Southland Conference standings with a 9-2 record.
Proffitt scored 16 in the first half to equal the Privateers’ output in the opening period. It was her second-highest point total of the season behind only her 30-point effort against Central Baptist College on Dec. 30, and her most against a Division I opponent. The 30 points surrendered to the winless Privateers is a UCA record for fewest points allowed against a Division I opponent.
Her performance helped her earn ESPN3 Player of the Game honors.
Proffitt is averaging 11 points per game for Central Arkansas, which ranks third among all freshmen in the 14-team Southland Conference and is second on the team. She leads all Southland players with a 42.3 3-point percentage for the season. She is 47 of 111 from 3-point range.
n Hollivay’s basket leads Rutgers past SMU: At Dallas, Former New Hope High and Heritage Academy standout Rachel Hollivay’s putback at the buzzer lifted Rutgers to a 65-64 victory against SMU on Saturday at Moody Coliseum.
The officials were forced to go to the replay to determine whether Hollivay released her shot before the final buzzer.
Hollivay finished with a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) to help Rutgers improve to 18-5 and 9-3 in the American Athletic Conference play. The double-double is Hollivay’s second of the season.
Kahleah Copper scored 14 of her team-high 20 points in the second half. Freshman guard Tyler Scaife added 10 points.
Rutgers trailed 59-50 with two minutes left on the clock when Kahleah Copper went on a 5-0 run of her own. Hollivay then rebounded a miss to cut the deficit to 59-57 with 59 seconds to go.
On the following possession, Mustang and conference leading scorer Keena Mays made 1 of 2 free throws. SMU (14-9 5-7) rebounded the miss and Mays hit two free throws to make it 62-57 with 46 seconds left.
RU turned the ball over on its next possession, but SMU’s Korina Baker missed a layup. Laney answered with a 3-pointer to cut it to 62-60 with 29 seconds remaining.
Rutgers fouled Mays to stop the clock, and Mays missed her free throw, giving possession back to the Scarlet Knights off a Hollivay rebound.
Canty’s 3-pointer gave Rutgers its first lead since the 12:35 mark of the first half.
Mays hit two free throws with five seconds to go to give SMU a 64-63 lead.
Scaife’s shot to win the game bounced off the rim, but Hollivay rose above the scramble for the putback.
With two blocked shots, Hollivay has 73, which is one shy of tying LaTonya Johnson (1991-92) for fifth on the single-season list. She grabbed six or more rebounds for the sixth-consecutive game.
Hollivay also recorded her best offensive start to a game. She began the game 4 of 4 from the field in the first half. She missed her first field goal at the 9:52 mark in the second half. The start beat her previous best mark of 3 of 3 at
Rutgers will play Houston at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
n Braddock off to fast start at the University of Arkansas at Monticello: At Monticello, Ark., Former Heritage Academy standout Austin Braddock went 1-for-3 with a run scored and a RBI Sunday in the Arkansas Monticello baseball team’s 8-5 victory against No. 1 Minnesota State-Mankato in Game 2 of a doubleheader.
In Game 1, Minnesota State-Mankato, the Division II runner-up last season, won 4-3. Braddock was 0-for-4 in that game. It was his first hitless game of the season for Arkansas Monticello (5-1).
Braddock went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in a season-opening 7-2 victory against Arkansas Tech. He was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs in a 16-5 (seven innings) victory against St. Mary’s (Texas). He was 1-for-3 with a home run in a 4-2 victory against Central Missouri, and he was 3-for-4 with a double and a RBI in a 6-3 victory against Henderson State.
The transfer from East Mississippi Community College earned his first start of the season on the mound against Henderson State. He pitched three innings, allowing one hit and four walks. He struck out two. He didn’t earn a decision.
Arkansas Monticello is scheduled to play host to Lyon at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
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