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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Melinda Murillo
Melinda Murillo
70
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 1-0
62
Southeastern Okla. SOSU 0-1
Winner
Central Oklahoma UCO
1-0
70
Final
62
Southeastern Okla. SOSU
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Central Oklahoma UCO 16 15 15 24 70
Southeastern Okla. SOSU 13 17 20 12 62

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Murillo Sparks Bronchos In Opener

DURANT, Okla. – The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team opened the 2017-18 season with a come-from-behind 70-62 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State Friday night at Bloomer Sullivan Arena.
 
Melinda Murillo paced the Bronchos, scoring a career-high 32 points in the win. UCO trailed for more than six minutes as the game changed to the final quarter, but after a Murillo jumper tied the game at 56, and a Megan Hartness layup gave the Bronchos the lead, Central never looked back.
 
Murillo hit a 3-pointer with 3:43 to go, and four free-throws in the final 11 seconds to cap the win. The senior point guard and returning First Team All-MIAA performer from a year ago led UCO with 32 points on 10 of 17 shooting. She hit 5 of 8 threes and all seven of her free throws. To add to that, Murillo had six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
 
"Melinda led us tonight, but that's just what she does," UCO head coach Guy Hardaker said. "She had a great night and we needed that down the stretch."
 
Jesheon Cooper added 12 points and 15 rebounds to guide the Bronchos. Hartness had seven off the bench, as did Ireon Smith. Blake Blessington and Shatoya Bryson each added four in starts for the Bronchos. Madison Lee had three in her first career start. UCO also got two from Megan Womack and one point from freshman Jo'Nah Johnson.
 
Murillo wasted no time getting to work Friday evening. The Guthrie native knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing on the game's opening possession. Before a minute of the new season had been played, Murillo hit a second shot from deep, though a foot on the line gave the Bronchos a 5-2 lead early.
 
Southeastern tied the game twice in the opening frame, but never led. That changed in the second quarter. The teams swapped leads four times before heading to the half with Central leading 31-30. Cooper put in a basket with just under five minutes to go in the first half to give UCO the lead.
 
Murillo added the next three points, followed by a layup by Lee with 3:57 to go in the second quarter to give the Bronchos its biggest first-half lead of six points.
 
That would be the biggest lead of the game for Central. Southeastern chipped away in the third quarter, taking the lead back with a 3-pointer at the 3:43 mark to go up 43-40. The Savage Storm led for the next 6:28 before Cooper tied the game again at the 7:15 mark of the fourth quarter. Murillo knocked down a jumper 30 seconds later to tie it once again, before Hartness knocked in the basket to give UCO its final lead.
 
The Bronchos stay in Durant for another night. Central plays Northwestern Oklahoma State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the second and final game of the MIAA/GAC Crossover Challenge. The Bronchos won't play at home until the first week of December however, opening the new season with eight-straight on the road.
 
 
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