University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

Good Start

11/11/2011 7:29:00 PM

Tyler Phillips

WEATHERFORD, Okla. (Nov. 11) -- Josh Davis ignited an 11-0 second-half scoring spurt that enabled Central Oklahoma to regain control and the No. 11-ranked Bronchos went on to roll over Northwestern Oklahoma 77-58 here Friday afternoon on the first day of the SWOSU Chamber of Commerce Classic.

UCO never trailed after jumping to a quick 5-0 lead, but the Rangers trimmed a 14-point deficit to just six at 43-37 with 15:17 left to play before Davis sparked the deciding run.

The junior forward followed a Brent Friday layup with a steal and 3-pointer, made another steal that led to a Shane Carroll free throw and later ended the four-minute spree with a layup that gave the Bronchos a 54-37 cushion with 10:25 remaining.

UCO coasted in from there to polish off the season-opening win in its first meeting with NWOSU since 2005. The Bronchos return to action Saturday, taking on Lincoln at 3 p.m. Click here for the live video webcast of the game and here for the live stats.

"We played pretty well in spurts, but still made a lot of mistakes and obviously have a lot of work to do," said head coach Terry Evans, whose team committed 23 turnovers. "It was good to open the season with a win and we'll look to build on this tomorrow."

Ten players scored for the Bronchos, with Johnny Stephene hitting 7-of-8 free throws in a team-high 14-point outing off the bench. Tyler Phillips had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Friday finished with 12 points and nine boards and freshman Cortrez Colbert had 12 points and seven rebounds in his first collegiate outing.

UCO grabbed a 5-0 lead less than a minute into the game, getting two free throws from Davis -- who finished the game with eight points -- and a 3-pointer from Colbert after a quick NWOSU turnover.

Stephene drained a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give the Bronchos a 38-27 lead at intermission and it was a 14-point margin (41-27) seconds into the second half on another Tyler Phillips trey.

That's when the Rangers rallied to get within close before UCO pulled away again.

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