UCO Takes Sting Out of Hornets

2/15/2014 6:41:00 PM

Seth Heckart

Box Score

EDMOND (Feb. 15) – Seth Heckart nailed back-to-back 3-pointers in an 13-0 second-half run that put Central Oklahoma in control and the Bronchos went on to dispose of Emporia State 82-73 Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Field House.

It was the fifth straight Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association win for UCO, which improved to 16-7 on the season and 10-6 in the league in avenging a 12-point loss to the Hornets three weeks ago. ESU fell to 15-11 and 8-8.

The Bronchos trailed 44-42 early in the second half, but Jarred Bairstow tied it with a layup and Heckart followed with his consecutive long-range shots from the top of the key to put UCO on top for good.

Heckart's steal led to a Nic Combs layup and the sophomore guard followed another ESU turnover with the assist on Jacob Strassle's 3-pointer from the corner that gave the Bronchos a 55-44 lead with 11:01 left to play.

UCO went on to lead by as many as 16 and then turned back a mild Emporia rally in the final minutes to clinch the win.

"We had too many turnovers, but we did a lot of things right and came out with a really good win," said head coach Terry Evans, whose team had 22 miscues. "We're playing well at the right time of the season and just want to keep working hard at getting better every time we step on the court."

Josh Gibbs led the Bronchos once again with a 28-point, 10-rebound, four-assist performance as the senior forward tied a single-game school record for free throw accuracy by hitting all 11 foul shots.

Heckart made 4-of-7 long-range shots in finishing with 18 points, Jacob Strassle was 3-of-3 from beyond the arc in a career-high 12-point outing and Aaron Anderson chipped in 11 points.

UCO trailed by as many as four in the opening 20 minutes, but Anderson scored the final four points of the half to give the Bronchos a 38-35 lead at the break.

The Hornets moved back in front early in the second half before the game-turning run and UCO's lead peaked at 16 (65-49) on a Heckart trey at the 6:59 mark.

ESU trimmed that to six at 74-68 with 1:22 left to play, but Gibbs made two foul shots at 1:13 and answered a Hornet score with a layup at 0:44 to keep the Bronchos safely in front.

UCO ends its three-game homestand next Saturday, hosting Northeastern State at 3:30 p.m. on Senior Day.

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