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Melinda Murillo
Melinda Murillo
58
Central Oklahoma UCO 17-4, 8-4 MIAA
64
Winner Central Missouri UCM 18-1, 12-0 MIAA
Central Oklahoma UCO
17-4, 8-4 MIAA
58
Final
64
Central Missouri UCM
18-1, 12-0 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Central Oklahoma UCO 16 19 13 10 58
Central Missouri UCM 22 12 14 16 64

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

UCO Upset Try Falls Short

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 1) – A game-ending scoring slump doomed Central Oklahoma's gallant upset bid here Thursday night as the No. 21-ranked Bronchos fell to sixth-rated Central Missouri 64-58.
 
Six straight Jesheon Cooper points had trimmed an eight-point deficit to just two at 58-56 with 4:30 left to play, but UCO scored just two points the rest of the way and the Jennies held on for their 15th straight win.
 
The Bronchos – who missed seven of eight shots and also had a turnover in the late-game dry spell -- fell to 17-4 on the season and 8-4 in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play.  Central Missouri improved to 18-1 and a league-best 12-0.
 
"We got some good looks in the fourth quarter and just couldn't knock down any shots," assistant coach Heather Davis said.  "I thought we played good at times and at others we struggled to get our offense going."
 
UCO made its first three 3-point attempts of the game and was 6-of-11 in taking a 35-34 halftime lead before going cold in the final two quarters.  The Bronchos made just 3-of-13 long-range tries in the second half, missing their last five.
 
Melinda Murillo led the way with 21 points, but she was held scoreless in the faithful fourth period.  Cooper was the only other player in double figures, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.
 
Blake Blessington contributed nine points, while Jo'Nah Johnson and Megan Hartness had six apiece.  Sadie Mason rejected three shots in six first-half minutes for the Bronchos.
 
The lead changed hands 18 times in the first three quarters, which ended in a 48-all deadlock.
 
Central Missouri opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 spurt to move in front 56-48 as UCO had three straight missed shots and a turnover.  Cooper finally got the Bronchos on the board with a layup and she followed two UCM free throws with a personal 6-0 run to make it 58-56.
 
UCO didn't score again until Blessington's 16-foot baseline jumper with 31.5 seconds remaining cut Central Missouri's lead to 62-58 and that was the final points for the Bronchos.  The Jennies made just 2-of-4 free throws the rest of the way, but UCO couldn't connect.
 
UCO came out smoking from long-range, getting consecutive 3-pointers from Madison Lee, Murillo and Johnson in the first two and half minutes of the game to jump on top 11-2.
 
The Jennies responded with 10 unanswered points to surge ahead 12-11 and went on to a 22-16 lead after the opening quarter as the Bronchos had two turnovers and two missed shots in their last four possessions.
 
Central Oklahoma went back beyond the arc to start the second period, with Shatoya Bryson and Hartness hitting back-to-back treys to quickly tie it.
 
Johnson's driving layup capped an 8-0 run that gave the Bronchos a 24-22 lead and it was a four-point advantage at 30-26 following two Murillo free throws at the 4:53 mark. 
 
The Jennies came back to take a 34-33 lead before Murillo drained a 12-foot jumper off the fast-break with 34 seconds left to give UCO a 35-34 edge at intermission.
 
It was back-and-fourth throughout the third quarter as well, with the Bronchos taking their final lead at 48-47 on Hartness' corner 3-pointer before Central Missouri made one of two foul shots in the final seconds to create the final tie.
 
The Bronchos stay on the road for another MIAA contest Saturday, going to Bolivar, Mo. to take on Southwest Baptist at 1:30 p.m.
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