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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Kelsey Johnson
61
Winner Central Okla. CentOK 7-4,7-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
51
Northwest Mo. St. NMSU 4-7,4-7 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Central Okla. CentOK
7-4,7-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
61
Final
51
Northwest Mo. St. NMSU
4-7,4-7 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Central Okla. CentOK 16 12 17 16 61
Northwest Mo. St. NMSU 15 11 10 15 51

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Beats Northwest Missouri

Bronchos Used Third Quarter Surge To Claim Victory

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team beat Northwest Missouri 61-51 Saturday afternoon in MIAA play at Bearcat Arena.
 
Central (7-4) has won five of its last six overall.
 
"Anytime you can hold your opponent to 50 points that's a good thing," UCO head coach Guy Hardaker said. "They've got a lot of good shooters and it can be a challenge to keep up with them, but our girls did a pretty good job of that tonight. We didn't let them get into a rhythm. We didn't play too well on offense but because of our defense we were able to get the win."
 
UCO held Northwest to a measly 27.3 percent mark from the field Saturday afternoon. NWMSU shot only 22.2 percent from behind the arc.
 
Kelsey Johnson scored 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. She also had three blocked shots. Jaci Littell added eight points and Taylor Dement scored seven to help the cause on offense.
 
Though Central walked away with a 10-point win, the game was much closer. There were 11 lead changes and the game was tied 12 times.
 
Most of those ties and lead changes came in a first quarter that went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. Central led four different times in the quarter but never by more than one point. Caley Young gave Central an early lead with a 3-pointer, Aliyah Llanusa sank a couple free-throws to give the Bronchos a lead midway through the quarter, Kaci Richardson did the same just a few moments after Llanusa's makes, and then Clary Donica made two free-throws with five seconds left in the opening quarter that gave the Bronchos a 16-15 lead at the first break.
 
Central Oklahoma pulled ahead by three early in the second quarter, but a 6-0 run followed by Northwest and the Bronchos needed to work from behind again.
 
Johnson, who made a layup to open the second-quarter scoring, made three more to follow. She put UCO up 22-21 with six minutes left in the quarter. There were still two more ties later in the quarter, but Llanusa's layup with 45 seconds to go till halftime put the Bronchos ahead 28-26 and that's how the game went to the break.
 
In the third quarter, Northwest tied the game once again just a minute back into the action. But Avery Allen knocked down a 3-pointer on the next possession to put the Bronchos ahead 31-28. Central never trailed again. Dement sparked the second-half run for Central, scoring all seven of her points in the third quarter and during her own personal 7-0 run. She made a layup, one free-throw, and two more layups. The last of those put the Bronchos up by 12 points, 45-33.
 
Northwest made a couple of pushes in the fourth quarter and even cut the lead to three with just over eight minutes to play, but the Bronchos held off the late rally and escaped with a victory.
 
Johnson finished 10 of 16 shooting and went 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. Littell was 3-for-5 and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Allen and Young both scored five to help the Broncho effort. Richardson and Llanusa both scored four. Karly Wadsworth scored three and Donica finished with two.
 
Central Oklahoma hit 18 of 19 shots from the free-throw line Saturday for a whopping 94.7 percent. Dement was the only Broncho that stepped to the line to miss. She was slapped on the hand shooting a layup before going 1-for-2 from the stripe.
 
UCO is back home next week. The Bronchos are scheduled to play host to Emporia State and Washburn next Thursday and Saturday at Hamilton Field House.
 
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