Women's Basketball 3/4/2019 12:38:00 PM Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Takes On Missouri Southern In MIAA Tournament

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team is returning to historic Municipal Auditorium Wednesday when the Bronchos take on Missouri Southern in the first round of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Postseason Tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.

Central Oklahoma is the No. 7 seed in the 10-team field. Missouri Southern is No. 10. The Bronchos, who won both regular season meetings against the Lions of Joplin, Mo., take an 18-11 record to Kansas City. UCO won its final three games of the regular season to climb into seventh-place.

"It's good to have a little momentum going up to Kansas City," UCO head women's basketball coach Guy Hardaker said. "But at the same time, everyone is hitting the reset button. You can't count anything you've done already because that won't get you a win there. You have to show up and play your best basketball now that's it's the postseason because now, every game really is your last one."

Central Oklahoma averaged 67.4 points per game during the regular season and shot 41.2 percent from the floor as a team. The Bronchos shot 34.2 percent from 3-point range, making an average of 8.2 from behind the arc per game. UCO also shot 70.3 percent from the free-throw line this season, making 11 from the charity stripe per game.

Micayla Haynes led the way on offense. The junior guard averaged a team-high 12.2 points per game this season – a Top 20 mark in the MIAA. Haynes played 25 minutes per game and led the team with 53 made 3-pointers and 41 steals (1.4 per game). She is second on the team with 48 made free-throws and also third on the team with 56 assists (1.9 per game).

Ireon Smith is the team's second-leading scorer at 11.4 points per game and is the team's leading rebounder at 7.7 per game. Smith shot a team-best 54.5 percent from the floor this season, which ranks among the best in the league. Smith scored in double figures in 16 of 29 games this season and posted seven double-doubles. Over the past week and a half, UCO's three-game win streak, Smith averaged 18 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game.

Shatoya Bryson is the third Broncho to average double figures for the season. The junior guard scored 10.7 points per game this season. Bryson made 45 threes on the year, trailing only Haynes for the team lead, but did lead UCO at the free-throw line, making 58 there. She also led the team with 89 assists (3.1 per game) and 41 steals (1.4 per game). Bryson also scored in double figures in 16 of 29 games this season, including a career-high 25 points in an overtime win over Nebraska-Kearney last week.

Blake Blessington averaged 8.8 points per game this season, down from her junior year numbers a season ago, but the versatile senior forward did find her way into the UCO all-time rankings after this season. Blessington scored 255 points this season to move up to No. 20 on the school's all-time scoring list at 901 points. She's only six points shy of No. 19 on the list. Blessington also pulled down 147 rebounds (5.1 per game) this season, to move up to No. 8 on the UCO all-time list with 481. Blessington is among the team leaders in made 3-pointers (43) and assists (2.5 per game).

Fellow seniors Megan Hartness (6.1 points per game) and Madison Lee (5.1 ppg) are also among the regular contributors on offense. Hartness's 44.7 percent mark from the floor is second on the team, while Lee has knocked down 28 threes this season, fourth-most on the team, and is an 84.8 percent free-throw shooter.

Central Oklahoma this season allowed 64.4 points per game and held opponents to a 39.7 percent mark shooting the basketball. UCO forced opponents to shoot just 33 percent from behind the arc, allowing 7.4 made threes per game. The Bronchos also forced 15.4 turnovers per game while stealing 8.5 balls on average this season.

The Bronchos beat Missouri Southern 79-60 in Joplin back in December. Haynes scored a career-high 26 points in the win that made UCO 8-0 on the season. Smith had 20 points in the effort as well. Central then beat MSSU 88-60 in Edmond in January. Haynes again led UCO with 17 points, while Blessington chipped in 16. Those two combined to hit nine 3-pointers in that game.

The Bronchos trail in the all-time series against the Lions, with MSSU owning a slim, 14-13 lead. Hardaker though owns a 7-2 advantage in the series since dating back to 2012-13, when the Bronchos joined the MIAA. MSSU won both games that year before Central Oklahoma began its current seven-game win streak in the series.

The winner of Wednesday night's game will advance in the tournament to play No. 2-seeded Central Missouri on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. Central Oklahoma is heading to Kansas City for the MIAA Tournament for the sixth-straight year.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Blake Blessington: G; 5' 9"; Senior

#21 Shatoya Bryson: G; 5' 8"; Junior

#32 Megan Hartness: G; 5' 9"; Senior

#4 Madison Lee: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#24 Ireon Smith: F; 6' 0"; Junior

#34 Micayla Haynes: G; 5' 5"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#13 Blake Blessington
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G

#21 Shatoya Bryson
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G

#32 Megan Hartness
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G

#4 Madison Lee
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#24 Ireon Smith
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

#34 Micayla Haynes
: 5' 5"; Junior
: G