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Ireon Smith

Women's Basketball Chris Brannick

Central Visits Fort Hays State

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HAYS, Kan. – The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team is set to play its final road contest of the 2017-18 regular season Saturday afternoon when the Bronchos take on Fort Hays State at 2 p.m. in a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association contest at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
 
Central Oklahoma is 20-5 on the season and 11-5 in league play, currently sitting in third-place in the MIAA standings and tied with Fort Hays State. The Tigers are … 20-5 on the season and 11-5 in league play.
 
UCO beat Fort Hays State last Saturday in Edmond, 72-70. Blake Blessington blocked the potential game-tying lay-up with about a second on the clock and corralled the rebound as time expired.
 
That game, sandwiched by a pair of come-from-behind victories over Nebraska-Kearney, has the Bronchos on a three-game win streak, and on the doorstep of receiving a first-round bye in the quickly approaching MIAA Tournament.
 
For that to happen, UCO just needs to win. That has been the message throughout for Broncho head coach Guy Hardaker.
 
"That's what we've been saying all along," Hardaker said. "You can't worry about any of that stuff. You can only play your game. If you go out and win, all that stuff will take care of itself.
 
"It's pretty hard to win on the road in this league and to win at Hays, that's one of the toughest places to win," Hardaker continued. "We know we're capable of beating them, we did that, we just have to focus on playing our game and try and block out everything else."
 
That game is defense.
 
Central continues to pound teams into the ground with its suffocating defense. The Bronchos held Nebraska-Kearney to just 30.8 percent shooting on Thursday night. That's four points below UCO's season average of 34.4, which is the best in the MIAA and the seventh-ranked defense in the country.
 
Only two teams have shot 40 percent or better against the Bronchos this season (UCO is 1-1 in those games). Fort Hays State shot 37.9 percent against the Bronchos in Edmond last weekend.
 
Forcing teams to take bad shots, late in the shot clock, has been Central's game plan all season. It's the key reason the Bronchos are aiming to get that first-round bye to Kansas City.
 
Fort Hays State is far from a slouch on defense itself. The Tigers are second in the league behind UCO in field-goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to shoot 35.9 percent on average.
 
But that might play into UCO's hands.
 
The Bronchos almost thrive on ugly games. Central Oklahoma is 1-0 when shooting less than 30 percent from the floor, 11-5 when shooting 30-39 percent, and 8-0 when shooting better than 40 percent.
 
Central returns home following Saturday afternoon's game. The Bronchos final two regular season games are next weekend in Edmond. UCO will host Washburn on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m., and Emporia State on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1:30 p.m. in Hamilton Field House.
 
The MIAA Tournament is scheduled to begin Monday, Feb. 26 for team's playing first-round games. The top-four advancing teams will begin the postseason on Thursday, March 1 from historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
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Players Mentioned

Blake Blessington

#13 Blake Blessington

G
5' 9"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Blake Blessington

#13 Blake Blessington

5' 9"
Junior
G
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