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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Adarius Avery
63
Central Okla. UCO 10-13
66
Winner Emporia State ESU 10-13
Central Okla. UCO
10-13
63
Final
66
Emporia State ESU
10-13
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Central Okla. UCO 25 38 63
Emporia State ESU 34 32 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Haley Eldridge

Central Oklahoma Comes Up Short At Emporia State

EMPORIA, Kan. – The University of Central Oklahoma men's basketball team lost to Emporia State Thursday night 66-63. 

The Bronchos are now 10-13 overall and 3-11 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. 

"This is a tough loss." UCO head coach Tom Hankins said. "They were a pretty even matchup with us and we just didn't come out ready to play early. We didn't knock down the shots we needed to." 

Adarius Avery led the Bronchos with 17 points and nine rebounds. He played all 40 minutes and went 5-for-8 from the free-throw line.

Dashon Bell, Marquis Johnson and Josh Holliday all added 11 points each. Jordan Hemphill had nine. 

UCO shot 43.8 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free-thow line. They outrebounded ESU 31-26. The Broncho defense forced 13 Hornet turnovers. 

The first half started out slow for the Bronchos. The Hornets took a 9-0 run and UCO didn't get on the board until four minutes in when Avery took it to the basket and knocked down a layup. 

The Bronchos couldn't get shots to fall in the first and allowed the Hornets to knock down big shots. ESU led by as many as 16 in the half with two minutes to go. Bell and Avery took over on the Bronchos end to shorten the Hornets lead to nine at halftime, 35-24.

UCO came out of halftime dishing it to Holliday quick and scoring the 3-point field goal. The game continued to go back and forth, until the Bronchos turned the ball over on a few possessions that resulted in the Hornets answering with a made bucket. 

The Bronchos pulled in close at the end when Hemphill took it in to the paint for an easy layup. The Hornets went down and missed their field goal, Avery getting the rebound and taking it coast to coast and drawing the foul, knocking down both free-throws. That pulled UCO in within three.

With only a little over a minute to play, UCO was forced to foul, putting the Hornets at the free-throw line. They knocked down both and extended the lead to five. The Bronchos continued their fight and got it to their best three-point shooter, Holliday, and he knocked down the three. It just wasn't enough time to regain the lead.  

The Bronchos are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Washburn at 3:00 p.m. They then head home for the rest of the season facing Fort Hays State on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Nebraska Kearney on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 3:30 p.m. 
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