Skip To Main Content

University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Kelsey Johnson
74
Mo. Southern St. MSSU 0-1,0-1 Mid-America Intercollegiate
75
Winner Central Okla. CentOK 1-0,1-0 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Mo. Southern St. MSSU
0-1,0-1 Mid-America Intercollegiate
74
Final
75
Central Okla. CentOK
1-0,1-0 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Mo. Southern St. MSSU 21 13 10 30 74
Central Okla. CentOK 18 13 21 23 75

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos Win Season Opener

EDMOND – Jaci Littell sank a pair of free-throws with eight seconds left to lead the University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team to a 75-74 victory over Missouri Southern in a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association matchup at Hamilton Field House.
 
Missouri Southern had just converted a huge and-1 layup after an offensive rebound to take a 74-73 lead over the Bronchos. But on an out of bounds play with eight seconds left, Littell was fouled trying to catch the inbounds pass and went to the line to shoot a 1-and-1. She sank both.
 
"For us to play so short-handed and be able to come away with a win, I'm so happy with the team," UCO head coach Guy Hardaker said. "We had to fight for that one. I think if we could have stayed out of foul trouble with our bigs, we would have been in better shape, but we still found a way."

Littell's heroics may have overshadowed a career night from senior returning All-MIAA selection Kelsey Johnson.
 
The forward poured in a career-high 30 points and added 11 rebounds.
 
"I think she's one of the best players in the league and she showed that tonight," Hardaker said. "For her to play as much as she did (34 minutes), she really carried us. She had a great game."
 
Littell finished with 12 points, a big thanks to 6-for-8 from the free-throw line. She added six rebounds and four steals. Avery Allen, playing in her first career game, scored 17 points and had three rebounds. The redshirt freshman was 4-for-8 from the floor but added 8 of 10 free-throws.
 
Central hit 49 percent of its total shots, 24-for-49, just 5 of 15 threes, and made 22 of 35 free-throw attempts.
 
Central Oklahoma went back and forth with Southern in the first quarter. The Bronchos and the Lions exchanged the lead six times in the first 10 minutes. Johnson got her solid season debut off to a good start early, scoring six of the first seven points for the Bronchos. She put up eight in the first quarter to go with four rebounds. Central trailed 21-18 after one quarter.
 
The same continued in the second quarter. There were two more lead changes and Johnson continued to dominate. She ended the first half with 13 points and five boards. Her turn around fadeaway jumper from the baseline at the buzzer gave her 13.
 
Central did continue to trail though at halftime, with the team's knotting the second quarter score 13-13, giving Southern a 34-31 lead at the break. UCO was aided in the half by a 14-5 advantage from the free-throw line.
 
UCO took a big lead thanks to an even bigger third quarter. The Bronchos outscored MSSU 21-10 in the frame, pulling out to an eight point lead, 52-44.
 
The Bronchos continued to push ahead in the beginning of the fourth, pushing ahead to a 65-55 with just under six minutes. That would be the biggest lead of the game though. MSSU went on a 13-4 run over the next three minutes and took a late lead, 71-70, with two minutes to play. UCO edged ahead again before Southern took its final lead with 18 seconds to play.
 
Central Oklahoma is back on the court this weekend. The Bronchos host Pittsburg State Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Hamilton Field House.
Print Friendly Version
Skip Ad
Skip Sponsors