Box Score

TOPEKA, Kan. (Nov. 16) – Chance Hardaker nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:05 left to play and Central Oklahoma hit clutch free throws the rest of the way to pull out a tough 63-57 win over Colorado Christian here Sunday afternoon on the second day of the Washburn Classic.

Hardaker's only basket of the game broke a 55-55 tie, with Lance Harper making 3-of-4 free throws and Tyler Phillips his only two attempts in the final 32 seconds to keep the No. 7-ranked Bronchos in front.

“It was a tough game and we didn't play particularly well, but we made some big plays down the stretch,” said UCO coach Terry Evans, whose team improved to 2-0. “It was a good opening weekend for us and we saw a lot of things we need to work on.”

Harper led the Bronchos once again, hitting 6-of-10 shots and 6-of-9 free throws in a game-high 18-point outing while adding eight rebounds and two steals.  Michael Sosanya also came up big, making 4-of-5 shots and 9-of-12 foul shots in scoring 17 points.

Phillips added nine points and David Thomas had a career-high seven assists, five steals, five rebounds and four points.

UCO jumped out to a 13-4 lead six minutes into the contest on a Keith Marks 3-pointer and Harper's three-point play with 8:33 left gave the Bronchos a 10-point cushion (24-14) en route to a 31-23 halftime lead.

Colorado Christian opened the second half with an 11-2 run to take a 34-33 lead and the Cougars went up 48-41 with 11:58 remaining.

UCO came back with a 9-0 run to grab a 50-48 lead on a short Thomas jumper at the 8:55 mark and it went back-and-forth the next few minutes before Hardaker's trey broke a 55-55 deadlock with 3:05 left.

The Bronchos didn't score again until Phillips hit two free throws with 32 seconds remaining, with Harper making two charity tosses at 0:17 and another one at 0:06 to keep CCU at bay.

UCO returns to action Friday and Saturday at the Southwestern Oklahoma Classic.