Women's Basketball 2/23/2018 1:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Central Hosts Emporia State In Season Finale

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team is set to host Emporia State in the final game of the 2017-18 regular season Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Field House. Tip-off for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association matchup is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. following a senior-day ceremony honoring a pair of Bronchos.

UCO will recognize Melinda Murillo and Jesheon Cooper before the game. The two seniors both have played two seasons at Central, and both have made a significant impact on the court.

Murillo last season earned First Team All-MIAA honors, becoming the first Broncho to do such since UCO joined the league in 2012. She has scored 913 points in 60 games played over the past two seasons, and has led the Bronchos in several other offensive categories.

Cooper earned Third Team All-MIAA last season and was part of the league's All-Defensive team as well. Cooper, who has also played in 60 games over the past two seasons, owns UCO school records for blocks in a single game (nine), blocks in a single season (100), and blocks in a career (180 … and counting). Cooper also has the seventh-most rebounds in school history with 562.

"Those two girls will be remembered around here," UCO head women's basketball coach Guy Hardaker said. "They've been great teammates, great leaders, and have done some pretty awesome stuff on the court. They both work really hard and I'm proud of them. I'm glad I got to coach them even if just for a couple of seasons."

UCO has plenty on the line when the ball goes up Saturday. The Bronchos are currently tied for fourth place in the MIAA standings, locked even with Nebraska-Kearney at 12-6. Central owns that tiebreaker and would earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament next week if it can finish in fourth place.

But Emporia State lies in waiting at 11-7 in the league standings. If UCO comes up short on Saturday it will slip to the fifth- or sixth-seed in the tournament and host a first-round game next Monday night. Emporia State edged the Bronchos 61-53 in Emporia last month. The Bronchos are 5-21 all-time against Emporia State. Hardaker is 2-13 against the Hornets.

But the Bronchos did beat Emporia State last year in Edmond when ESU was ranked second in the country. In the game at Emporia in January, the Bronchos outscored the Hornets in the first, second, and fourth quarters. A sluggish first few minutes out of the locker room after halftime cost UCO the game.

"We know we have to play more consistent," Hardaker said. "We know that's what cost us the game up at their place. It's so hard to win there and we really had a shot, but you just have to be locked in. I think the same goes for Saturday's game here. We have to be locked in from the moment the game starts, until the end of the game if we want to get the win."

Central Oklahoma is coming off a blowout win of Washburn Thursday night. UCO held the Ichabods to 33.3 percent shooting (26.7 percent from three) and forced a season-high 26 turnovers in the 77-47 win.

Emporia State is coming off a loss at Northeastern State. The Hornets shot just 35 percent against the Riverhawks, and were just 3-for-19 from behind the arc in the loss.

If UCO is to get the fourth-seed in the MIAA Tournament, its next game would be Thursday, March 1 at 8:15 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. As the fifth- or sixth-seed, UCO would play Monday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at Hamilton Field House.

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Players Mentioned

#42 Jesheon Cooper: F; 6' 5"; Senior

#22 Melinda Murillo: G; 5' 5"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#42 Jesheon Cooper
: 6' 5"; Senior
: F

#22 Melinda Murillo
: 5' 5"; Senior
: G

Players Mentioned

#42 Jesheon Cooper

#22 Melinda Murillo

Players Mentioned

#42 Jesheon Cooper

#22 Melinda Murillo