Men's Basketball 2/17/2018 6:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Come Up Short at Fort Hays State

HAYS, Kan. – The University of Central Oklahoma men's basketball team came up short on the game's final possession and lost 57-55 to Fort Hays State in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association action Saturday evening at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

Trailing 57-55 with nine seconds left, Central inbounded the ball to Corbin Byford who got tangled up with a FHSU defender trying to make a move in the paint and go up for the potential game-tying bucket. Instead, the ball popped loose, and a scramble for the loose ball is how the game ended.

The Bronchos fall to 17-9 with the loss, 10-7 in the MIAA. Fort Hays State is 16-10 with the win, and 9-8 in league play.

"That's an unfortunate way to end," UCO head coach Tom Hankins said. "But really, we shouldn't have been in that position. We got off to a slow start, and then missed on a few chances late. We needed to convert on those chances to not be in the situation we were. I liked our chances on that last play, but it didn't work out. Now we have to move on."

UCO finished the game without a single, double-digit scorer. Jake Hammond, Jordan Hemphill, and Josh Holliday each scored nine points to lead the way for Central. UCO shot just 38.6 percent on the night, hitting 8 of 22 3-point attempts. The Bronchos only took five free-throws, making three of those.

Down by four at halftime, the second half was as back-and-forth as it could have been.

The game was tied six times in the second half alone. The teams alternated baskets for a near 10-minute stretch before a missed free-throw by Fort Hays State left the Tigers up by a point.

Then the two teams alternated lead changes for the next few minutes. UCO led 47-46, and 49-48 before Hays scored four in a row. A Marqueese Grayson 3-pointer tied the game at 52 (the sixth tie of the half), then a Holliday three gave UCO a 55-54 lead.

The Bronchos never scored again.

Hays responded with a 3-pointer to take a 57-55 lead with 28 seconds left. Hemphill lost control of the ball trying to tie the game up with under 20 seconds to play and Central had to foul. Fort Hays State missed the first of a 1-and-1 attempt, and Holliday grabbed the rebound. After Hays used its last foul to give, that set up the final play.

Byford finished with six points on 3-for-8 shooting. He also had six rebounds and three blocks. Hemphill and Grayson each had five. Kole Talbott added seven, Jordan London three, and Cooper Clark two.

Central Oklahoma found itself in an early deficit Saturday. Fort Hays State jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before the Bronchos made their first field goal – a Hemphill 3-pointer. But the Bronchos missed their next nine shots from the field. A Talbot three made it 12-6 with just over 12 minutes to play.

UCO made a push though. The Bronchos started 2-for-12 from the floor, but made three of their next four to take a 14-13 lead.

UCO had a 3-point lead with 8:53 to play in the first half. That was its largest lead of the half. The Bronchos held the lead for 59 seconds before Hays made another run to re-take the lead.

Fort Hays State pulled ahead following a 16-16 tie with eight minutes left to take a 24-18 lead with four minutes left. Central pulled within four before the end of the half, 26-22.

The Bronchos now look to rebound from a two-game losing streak in its final two games of the season. The Bronchos host Washburn at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Hamilton Field House, before closing out the regular season against Emporia State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Corbin Byford: F; 6' 6"; Senior

#24 Cooper Clark: G; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#12 Jake Hammond: C; 6' 9"; Senior

#11 Josh Holliday: G; 5' 8"; Junior

#14 Jordan London: G; 6' 1"; Junior

#5 Jordan Hemphill: G; 6' 5"; Freshman

#10 Marqueese Grayson: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#21 Kole Talbott: G; 6' 4"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#23 Corbin Byford
: 6' 6"; Senior
: F

#24 Cooper Clark
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: G

#12 Jake Hammond
: 6' 9"; Senior
: C

#11 Josh Holliday
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G

#14 Jordan London
: 6' 1"; Junior
: G

#5 Jordan Hemphill
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: G

#10 Marqueese Grayson
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#21 Kole Talbott
: 6' 4"; Junior
: G