Men's Basketball 2/7/2020 2:17:00 PM Chris Brannick

Central Takes On Fort Hays

HAYS, Kan. – The University of Central Oklahoma men's basketball team plays its final road game of the season Saturday with the Bronchos taking on Fort Hays State. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Gross Coliseum.

Central takes a 7-16 overall record into the weekend. The Bronchos are 4-10 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Fort Hays State is 10-11 overall and has a 3-9 record in league play.

UCO is aiming to snap a seven-game losing streak – the first of its kind since the 1977-78 season. The Bronchos enter the weekend averaging 68.9 points per game. Central leads the league in free-throws made as a team, having sank 378 this season. UCO also has a team-high 508 free-throws attempted. Central's 74.4 percent mark from the free-throw line this season ranks fifth in the MIAA.

Dashawn McDowell and Camryn Givens continue to lead the charge on offense. McDowell averages 11.4 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game. The junior forward has a team-high 91 made field goals, is second on the team lead with 71 made free-throws. He shoots 48.4 percent from the floor and 72.4 percent from the free-throw line. Givens, a sophomore, averages 11.2 points per game and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game. Givens is second on the team with 78 made field goals and leads UCO with 75 made free-throws. He has also knocked down 26 threes this season, which is tied for the team lead.

Dashon Bell averages 9.1 points per game and leads the team with 81 assists and 31 steals. Justin Nimmer (7.3) and D.J. Basey (6.1) also chip in on the scoring load. Colt Savage, who averages 5.6 points per game, is tied for the team-high 26 made 3-pointers this season alongside Givens. Carson Calavan averages 4.6 points per game, but recently notched a career-high 18 against Northwest Missouri last Saturday.

Fort Hays State averages 72.7 points per game as a team and shoots on average 46.7 percent from the floor. The Tigers shoot 37.7 percent from behind the arc and average 7.7 made 3-pointers per game this season. Jared Vitztum leads the team with a 13.2 points per game average. He has a team-high 95 made shots and a team-high 35 made 3-pointers. He's also the team's leading rebounder at 7.6 per game.

Fort Hays State owns the all-time series lead having won 16 of 23 meetings. Hays has also won the last three meetings. The Bronchos last won in 2018 in Edmond.

Central Oklahoma will spend the final three weeks of the regular season at home. Central only plays one game next week, hosting Newman, one game the following week, hosting Emporia State, then concludes the 2019-20 regular season with Nebraska Kearney and Fort Hays at home at the end of this month.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#1 Dashon Bell: G; 6' 1"; Senior

#13 Carson Calavan: G; 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman

#0 Justin Nimmer: G; 6' 6"; Redshirt Freshman

#21 Colt Savage: F; 6' 5"; Sophomore

#3 Dashawn McDowell: F; 6' 5"; Junior

#12 D.J. Basey: F; 6' 10"; Freshman

#33 Camryn Givens: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#1 Dashon Bell
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

#13 Carson Calavan
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#0 Justin Nimmer
: 6' 6"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#21 Colt Savage
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: F

#3 Dashawn McDowell
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F

#12 D.J. Basey
: 6' 10"; Freshman
: F

#33 Camryn Givens
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: F