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Team
55
AUGUSTANA AUGIE 6-1
59
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 5-0
AUGUSTANA AUGIE
6-1
55
Final
59
Central Oklahoma UCO
5-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
AUGUSTANA AUGIE 10 14 13 18 55
Central Oklahoma UCO 15 9 21 14 59

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

UCO Beats Augustana In Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The University of Central Oklahoma beat Augustana 59-55 Thursday afternoon at the Division II Puerto Rico Clasico. The Bronchos improved to 5-0 on the season with the win. Central will play two more games in Puerto Rico before returning home Sunday.

"That was a very tough and physical game," UCO head basketball coach Guy Hardaker said. "I'm proud of the team for working through that and figuring out what we needed to do to get a win."

Central Oklahoma got double-digit performances from Blake Blessington (17 points), Shatoya Bryson (10 points) and Micayla Haynes (10 points) to lead the way. Ireon Smith's 9-point, 10-rebound night was big too. Perhaps Central's defensive effort in forcing 18 Augustana turnovers was the best. Smith had five steals in shutting down the post presence of the Vikings of Sioux Falls, S.D.

Despite a shot clock violation on the game's first possession, the Broncho offense came out firing. Bryson made a layup on the next trip down, Haynes sank a 3-pointer after that, and Blessington drove to the basket to get a layup of her own to give UCO a quick 7-2 lead in the opening frame.

UCO kept the defensive effort going, forcing three turnovers in the first quarter to help build an early 15-10 lead.

Augustana responded to open the second quarter with a pair of quick baskets to make it a 1-point game, 15-14. And after Central held its close lead for most of the next five minutes, Augustana finally pulled the game to a tie, 18-18, and again at 20-20.

The game was tied 21-21 when Augustana took its first lead of the game with a free throw. Augustana built a 24-21 lead on the next possession before Blessington tied it at 24 with a corner 3-pointer. 

That's how the game went to halftime.

UCO's defense played solid in the first half, forcing nine turnovers and holding Augustana to just 9-for-27 shooting from the floor. But the Bronchos had just as tough a time putting the ball in the basket. UCO shot nearly 40 percent in the first quarter, but then made just two field goals on 16 second-quarter shots.

The Bronchos started the third quarter the way they started the game. Blessington hit a 3-pointer to open the quarter and Bryson earned a fancy fastbreak layup to give Central a 29-24 lead, forcing Augustana to call a timeout. 

After the break, Smith made a nifty move of her own under the basket, Haynes sank her second 3-pointer of the game, and got a fastbreak layup off a turnover to give Central a 36-24 lead.

The Bronchos kept up the defensive toughness and high tempo style of play to build a 43-28 lead after Brooke Rayner stole the ball and took it all the way for an easy layup.

Central led 45-37 after thanks to a big, 9-for-15, 60 percent third quarter that the Bronchos also forced seven more turnovers in.

Augustana wasn't going away though. Like the third quarter began the way the first did, the fourth quarter began the way the second did. Augustana opened with seven straight points to cut the Broncho lead to one point, 45-44, before Blessington hit a couple of free throws to get UCO on the board for the period.

Augustana tied the game 53-53 with just under three minutes to play in the fourth quarter before a fastbreak layup by Madison Lee gave the Bronchos back the lead. Bryson sank a devasting 3-pointer with 47 seconds left from the top of the key to seal the win for the Bronchos.

McKenna Pulley added four points for the Bronchos, all on free-throws. Lee scored three, and Rayner, Lauren Chancellor and Megan Hartness each added two points.

Central Oklahoma will play New Haven (Conn.) on Friday at 3 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time before closing out the festival against Puerto Rico Bayamon on Saturday at 7 p.m.
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