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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Taylor Dement
73
Washburn Wash 6-7,6-7 Mid-America Intercollegiate
74
Winner Central Okla. CentOK 9-4,9-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Washburn Wash
6-7,6-7 Mid-America Intercollegiate
73
Final
74
Central Okla. CentOK
9-4,9-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Washburn Wash 16 16 13 28 73
Central Okla. CentOK 16 12 19 27 74

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Downs Washburn

Bronchos Hold On For 74-73 Win At Hamilton

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team edged Washburn Saturday afternoon, winning 74-73 in an MIAA matchup at Hamilton Field House.
 
Central Oklahoma improved to 9-4 with the win, which was the third in a row for the Bronchos and the seventh victory in the last eight UCO games.
 
"We played well on both ends of the floor," UCO head coach Guy Hardaker said. "I think there were times we could have done a better job on defense, but we did enough. And we could've been a little better on offense too, but again, we did enough. It was a good win against a team that makes you work pretty hard."
 
Kelsey Johnson led UCO with 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting and added a team-high eight rebounds. Brooke Rayner and Jaci Littell both scored 11 points. Littell added seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Rayner added four assists and three steals.
 
Central Oklahoma shot 41.1 percent from the floor Saturday afternoon, hitting 23 of 56 shots. The Bronchos went 8-for-17 from behind the arc, with Rayner's three 3-pointers leading that department. UCO was also 20 of 29 from the free-throw line.
 
It'll go down as a come-from-behind win for Central Oklahoma. Saturday's game was back-and-forth throughout the afternoon. There were 10 lead changes in all, nine times the game was tied, and the biggest lead was seven points – by Washburn in the second quarter. Central's biggest lead of the game was a six-point margin in the fourth quarter.
 
UCO did lead by five early in the first quarter. Rayner hit a 3-pointer just 19 seconds into the game to give the Bronchos a 3-0 lead, and after a pair of Washburn free-throws, Johnson scored on back-to-back possessions to put the Bronchos ahead 7-2 just under two minutes into the game.
 
Washburn did respond after Johnson made it 9-4 with 7:28 to play. The Ichabods of Topeka, Kansas went on a 10-2 run to take a 14-11 lead with just over three minutes left in the opening quarter. But Central had a response of its own. Taylor Dement's layup with 46 seconds left in the first quarter tied the game, 16-16.
 
Washburn controlled the second quarter. Dement hit a 3-pointer to give Central a 19-18 early in the quarter. But a second 10-2 run by Washburn made it 28-21 with 4:02 to play in the first half. UCO again responded to keep it close and closed the half with a 7-4 advantage over those final four minutes to go into the halftime break down just 32-28.
 
The third quarter is when Central made its mark. The Bronchos came out and hit 6 of 11 shots, including four 3-pointers in the third quarter and outscored Washburn 19-13 to go ahead by two, 47-45, heading into the final frame.
 
Rayner hit her second three of the day with 5:26 to play in the third. Then she hit another with 3:10 to play. Karly Wadsworth then got in on the action and hit a three in the corner. All of these threes kept UCO within striking distance, but it was Clary Donica's three from the top of the key with 1:40 to play in the third that put the Bronchos ahead, 44-42.
 
Washburn did hit a three right after that to go in front again, but Donica made one of two free-throws to tie the game, 45-45, and Kaci Richardson hit a jumper in front of the goal to put the Bronchos on top, 47-45, at the end of the quarter.
 
Washburn started the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to go ahead 48-47 before Central made a run to find that six-point lead. UCO outscored Washburn 9-4 over the next two minutes to go ahead 57-51.
 
But no lead seemed safe.
 
Central held the lead from the 8:45 mark in the fourth quarter all the way down to the 2:02 mark when Washburn tied the game, 65-65. UCO then found itself in a small deficit when Washburn made two free-throws with a minute to play to go ahead 69-67, but Caley Yong's 3-pointer from the right wing with 39 seconds to play gave UCO the lead for good.
 
Young made two more free-throws, then Washburn made two from the line, then Johnson made two free-throws, then Washburn made two from the line again. The last of that left it 74-73 with just 1.9 seconds to play. UCO only needed to inbound and possible hit a couple more free-throws.
 
On that inbound play, Washburn did steal the ball and get a halfcourt heave off at the buzzer but did not connect and the Bronchos escaped with the win.
 
Avery Allen added six points and four assists on the day. Young and Dement both scored five points. Donica posted four, Tayler Factor and Wadsworth both scored three, and Richardson two, to round out the scoring for the Bronchos.
 
Central Oklahoma is scheduled to play on the road next week. The Bronchos will take on Nebraska Kearney next Thursday before heading to Fort Hays State next Saturday.
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