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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Madison Lee
Madison Lee
62
Emporia State ESU 22-7, 13-6 MIAA
78
Winner Central Oklahoma UCO 18-11, 9-10 MIAA
Emporia State ESU
22-7, 13-6 MIAA
62
Final
78
Central Oklahoma UCO
18-11, 9-10 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Emporia State ESU 8 12 17 25 62
Central Oklahoma UCO 24 20 19 15 78

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Outside Barrage Leads UCO Past Hornets

EDMOND (March 2) – Madison Lee scored a season-high 17 points and made five 3-pointers to ignite a long-range shooting exhibition that carried Central Oklahoma to a stunning 78-62 trouncing of Emporia State Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Field House.

The Bronchos nailed 14 treys in shooting 46.7 percent from beyond the arc and had four players score in double figures to win their third straight game in the regular season finale.

UCO improved to 18-11 overall and finished 9-10 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.  The Hornets dropped to 22-7 and 13-6.

The Bronchos finished seventh in the final league standings and will play Missouri Southern at 8:15 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. in the first round of the MIAA Postseason Tournament.

"We came out aggressive and got off to a great start," head coach Guy Hardaker said.  "Things are a lot easier when you're knocking down shots, but I thought we did a nice job moving the ball.  Our defense and rebounding was good as well, especially in the first half."

The Bronchos trailed for only 10 seconds and led by as many as 30 while limiting ESU to 27.3-percent (21-of-77) shooting from the field.  UCO also held a 49-41 rebounding edge and had 24 assists on 30 made baskets.

Lee and fellow seniors Blake Blessington and Megan Hartness combined for 34 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists in their final home game.

Lee finished 5-of-7 from deep in her 17-point outing, while Ireon Smith had 16 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.  Blessington made four treys in scoring 12 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists, moving into 20th place on the school's all-time scoring list with 902 points.

Micayla Haynes chipping in 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, with Hartness contributing eight rebounds, five points and four assists.

UCO came out firing – and hitting – from beyond the arc, knocking down six of eight 3-point attempts in the first five minutes to jump out to a huge 18-2 lead.

Lee led that early charge with three corner treys, while Richardson – who entered the game with three on the season – splashed through two from the top of the key.

Central's first two-point bucket was a layup by Smith at the 1:34 mark that made it 20-7 and the junior post added four more points the rest of the quarter as the Bronchos grabbed a 24-8 lead after the opening 10 minutes.

Smith continued her inside dominance to start the second quarter with a three-point play, Blessington followed with a 3-pointer from the win and Smith made one of two foul shots to put UCO on top 31-8 with 7:53 left in the half.

The Bronchos pushed their lead to 24 (42-18) on Haynes' long 3-pointer from the wing at 2:30 and the cat-quick junior guard scored on a fast-break layup off a nifty pass from Hartness to give UCO a 44-20 cushion at 1:24.

That's the way the half ended and consecutive 3-pointers by Hartness and Blessington quickly pushed the lead to 30 at 50-20 early in the third quarter.

Emporia scored 11 unanswered points to get within 19 (50-31), but Haynes ended that spurt with a long trey.  Back-to-back layups by McKenna Pulley and an inside bucket by Bryson finished off a 9-0 run that pushed the lead back to 28 at 59-31.

Central ended the quarter with a 63-37 advantage and only a last-minute push got the Hornets within the final 16-point margin.



 
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