Central Arkansas Sugar Bears face Jacksonville Dolphins in ASUN semifinal on March 7 in Jacksonville

Semifinal matchup set at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena

Central Arkansas and Jacksonville are scheduled to meet Saturday, March 7, 2026, in an Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) women’s basketball tournament semifinal in Jacksonville, Florida. The game is set for 1:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. CT) at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and is slated to stream on ESPN+.

Jacksonville enters the semifinal with a 22–8 overall record and a 13–5 mark in ASUN play. Central Arkansas is 21–10 overall and also 13–5 in league play. The teams’ identical conference records underscore the narrow margin separating the two programs in the regular-season standings.

How both teams reached March 7

Jacksonville advanced by defeating West Georgia 86–77 in its quarterfinal. In that win, the Dolphins received 28 points from Makiya Miller. Jacksonville’s quarterfinal was notable for a high volume of free throws late in the game, with 24 attempts in the fourth quarter.

Central Arkansas earned its place in the semifinal by beating North Alabama 67–56. The Sugar Bears’ quarterfinal featured significant bench production, including a reported 33–3 edge in bench points. Laylah Reese scored a career-high 18 points in the win, and Jenna Cook added 12 off the bench.

Key context from the regular season series

The semifinal is a rematch of a January meeting in Jacksonville that went to overtime. Jacksonville won that game 96–86. In the overtime loss, Central Arkansas had two 20-point scorers—Jenna Cook with 21 and Cheyanne Kemp with 20—while Shae Littleford added 18 and Bree Stephens recorded a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double. Central Arkansas made 15 three-pointers in that contest.

Saturday’s tournament game will determine which team advances to the ASUN championship game, with postseason implications that typically accompany a conference tournament final.

What to watch

• Free-throw volume and late-game pace, after Jacksonville’s quarterfinal featured frequent trips to the line in the fourth quarter.
• Three-point shooting by Central Arkansas, which previously made 15 threes in the teams’ January overtime game.
• Bench impact, following Central Arkansas’ sizable bench scoring margin in its quarterfinal victory.

Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.