Women's Basketball 11/9/2021 8:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Open 21-22 Season Friday

UCO Hosts Central Region Classic Tipoff Event At Hamilton Field House

EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team opens the 2021-22 season Friday evening at Hamilton Field House. The Bronchos begin with Northwestern Oklahoma State in the first of two games as part of this weekend's Central Region Classic.

UCO is hosting the three-conference crossover event. Fellow MIAA school Northeastern State and Mary (N.D.) of the NSIC will play earlier Friday. The Bronchos will also face Mary Saturday evening after Northeastern and GAC rep Northwestern square off.

Tipoff for both UCO games this weekend is 5:30 p.m.

"We're excited to get the season started," UCO head coach Guy Hardaker said. "We didn't get any non-conference games last season with everything that was going on, so it'll be good to play some early season non-conference games this month.

"We like who we got," Hardaker continued. "We're bringing almost everybody back from last year's team and we added a few pieces that will have a chance to help us. We'll need some of these early games to get everything figured out. Every year your team is a little different. But we're looking forward to getting started."

Central Oklahoma returns 12 letter winners from last season's team that went 14-9 and finished fifth in the MIAA. UCO, which also returns all of its starting five, was picked to finish fifth in this season's MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.

In the front of the line for the returners is senior Kelsey Johnson. After the NCAA made the decision that last season did not count against a year of eligibility, Johnson returns as a sixth-year senior and does so after putting together a banner year.

Johnson earned First Team All-MIAA last season after scoring 18.9 points per game and gathering 9.7 rebounds per game. Both marks were No. 2 on the league leaderboards. She led UCO is several categories, including minutes played.

Her 18.9 points per game average last season was the second-best mark in school history. She's already got her name in the record book and is eyeing more opportunities this winter.

Johnson set a school record her junior season, making over 60 percent of her shots. After hitting over 55 percent last season, she stands at 57.6 for her career, better than any player in school history.

Johnson has 829 career points and looks to become Central's 13th 1,000-point scorer sometime this season. She also has 407 career rebounds and can become just the eighth player with 500 boards. Five players have both.

Brooke Rayner is also among the veterans returning to Central this winter. The guard is still a junior for the second season and brings stout career numbers into this one.

Rayner earned MIAA All-Defense last season after swiping 31 steals in just 22 games. Her 1.4 steals per game average was among the league leaders. She has 87 steals in three seasons for her career.

But Rayner also made her presence known on the offensive end last season. She was second on the team in scoring at 9.5 points per game and made a team-high 33 threes. She had her first career 20-point performance, had several games with multiple makes from behind the 3-point line, and became a regular focus of the opposing defenses.

Jaci Little also earned some league recognition last season when she was named All-MIAA Honorable Mention. She scored 8.3 points per game and was second on the team in made 3-pointers (28) and made free-throws (56). She was third on the team in several categories too.

Caley Young – 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds – became a regular starter and finished her true freshman season with a huge 20-point, 9-rebound game. She's a freshman again and will look to improve those numbers.

Avery Allen, who sat out the 2019-20 season and will play a second redshirt freshman season this winter, returns after scoring 6.0 points per game. She dished out 88 assists, 3.8 per contest, and was among the best in the MIAA in getting teammates the ball. Allen is set to contend for All-MIAA honors this winter as she enters her third year with the program.

Taylor Dement, Clary Donica, Aliyah Llanusa, Tayler Factor, Karly Wadsworth, and Macy McClendon and Megan McClendon also return with a variety of talent to help Central with a deep rotation.

The new additions include true freshman Lexi Foreman and Rory Geer. Both are athletic and can put up numbers on offense. They'll be searching for minutes and looking to find a role with the Bronchos this winter.

Alayzha Knapp and Ginger Reece are also new faces on the UCO women's basketball roster. Both are Division I transfers and will bolster the Broncho lineup this winter.

Knapp played two seasons at Arkansas Little Rock and averaged seven points and three rebounds in 40 career games. Reece played at Arkansas for one season before going to Panola College in Texas last winter.

Knapp can post a double-double and has a career-high of 21. Reece hit for 54 in a playoff game last season where she made 14 3-pointers.

Central Oklahoma has a run of seven consecutive winning seasons coming into this 2021-22 campaign. The Bronchos have made eight consecutive MIAA postseason tournaments and are looking to find their way back to a sixth NCAA Tournament in March.

Hardaker enters his 16th season this weekend. The UCO alum has a career record of 281-158.

Central Oklahoma will not play another non-conference game at home this season. The Bronchos are traveling to Southern Nazarene, Arkansas Fort Smith, Harding, and Cameron later this month. UCO opens its 22-game MIAA schedule in December.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Avery Allen: G; 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman

#4 Taylor Dement: G; 5' 5"; Redshirt Freshman

#3 Clary Donica: F; 6' 0"; Junior

#20 Tayler Factor: F; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#33 Kelsey Johnson: F; 6' 3"; Senior

#22 Aliyah Llanusa: G; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#2 Macy McClendon: F; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman

#0 Megan McClendon: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

#11 Brooke Rayner: G; 5' 7"; Junior

#21 Karly Wadsworth: G; 5' 8"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#1 Avery Allen
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#4 Taylor Dement
: 5' 5"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#3 Clary Donica
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

#20 Tayler Factor
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: F

#33 Kelsey Johnson
: 6' 3"; Senior
: F

#22 Aliyah Llanusa
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: G

#2 Macy McClendon
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#0 Megan McClendon
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

#11 Brooke Rayner
: 5' 7"; Junior
: G

#21 Karly Wadsworth
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: G