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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Micayla Haynes
79
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 8-0, 1-0
60
Mo. Southern St. MSSU 5-3, 0-1
Winner
Central Oklahoma UCO
8-0, 1-0
79
Final
60
Mo. Southern St. MSSU
5-3, 0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Central Oklahoma UCO 13 24 20 22 79
Mo. Southern St. MSSU 13 13 19 15 60

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

UCO Opens MIAA Play With Big Road Win

JOPLIN, Mo. - The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team beat Missouri Southern 79-60 Thursday evening at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center in the first Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association game of the season for the Bronchos.

UCO, ranked 15th in the Division II Media Poll and 23rd in the Coaches' Poll, improved to 8-0 with the win.

"We shot the ball really well tonight and that always helps," UCO head basketball coach Guy Hardaker said. "I think we missed on some things defensively here and there, but overall we defended well. I thought Micayla Haynes had a great game and so did Ireon Smith. To get both of those girls with 20 points is a big deal for us offensively."

Haynes led the way for Central Thursday, scoring a season-high 26 points on a blistering 76.9 percent shooting performance. Smith added 20 points to go with seven rebounds and four blocked shots.

Haynes sparked an early lead for the Bronchos. The junior guard had nine first-quarter points in just three and a half minutes. Haynes earned a fastbreak layup after having already knocked down a smooth jump shot. She hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give UCO a 9-4 lead and then added a floater from the right side of the lane to make it 11-8.

Missouri Southern kept it close though with a bevy of first-quarter layups. The opening quarter ended tied 13-13.

Central worked itself up to a big 11-point lead in the second quarter. Haynes opened the quarter with a jumper, Shatoya Bryson hit a 3-pointer, and Blake Blessington and Smith also chipped in on a 13-2 run to start the quarter. A Smith fastbreak layup forced the Lions to call a timeout with Central up 22-15. Haynes and Blessington both added buckets to give UCO a 26-15 lead.

Missouri Southern again battled back, going on an 8-0 run of its own, but a solid finish to the quarter gave Central a 37-26 lead at halftime. Smith earned another fastbreak layup, and Lauren Chancellor, McKenna Pulley, and Megan Hartness also put in layups for the Bronchos to end the half on a 11-3 run.

Southern used an early third quarter run to chip into the Broncho lead, but UCO kept up its stellar play and maintained its lead throughout the quarter. A 4-0 run to start the second half was a distant memory after Central led by as many as 13 in the frame, 51-38. UCO ended the quarter with more of its signature stingy defense to build a 57-45 lead heading into the final frame.

Central's first basket of the fourth quarter, a Hartness layup right through the heart of the Lion defense, gave UCO its biggest lead of the game (14 points), 59-45. Hartness added a free-throw with 7:09 to play to make it a 15-point game. 

The Broncho lead continued to grow.

Haynes knocked down a 3-pointer late in the fourth to give Central a 16-point lead, then Hartness followed with a three of her own to make it 71-52 UCO with under three minutes to play. And a late Madison Lee 3-pointer made it a 22-point game. That was the biggest lead of the game for the Bronchos.

Bryson was the third Broncho in double figures, scoring 10 points on the night. Hartness added nine, Chancellor five, Blessington four, Lee three, and Pulley two.

The Bronchos shot 55.6 percent as a team, knocking down 43.8 percent of its 3-pointers. Central also out-shot Missouri Southern from the free-throw line, hitting 12 of 16 shots there.

Central Oklahoma continues its MIAA-opening weekend in Pittsburg, Kan. on Saturday. The Bronchos will play at Pittsburg State (5-1, 1-0) at 1:30 p.m.
 
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