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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Clary Donica
64
Central Okla. UCO 7-5,3-3 MIAA
72
Winner Neb.-Kearney UNKWBB 10-1,5-0 MIAA
Central Okla. UCO
7-5,3-3 MIAA
64
Final
72
Neb.-Kearney UNKWBB
10-1,5-0 MIAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Central Okla. UCO 10 14 25 15 64
Neb.-Kearney UNKWBB 19 21 12 20 72

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Central Comes Up Short In Sunday Matinee

KEARNEY, Neb. – The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team erased a huge halftime deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead, but couldn't finish off the 12th-ranked Nebraska Kearney squad and lost its second game of the weekend 72-64.
 
"We used all we had to make the comeback but we needed to play a little better in the final minutes," UCO head women's basketball coach Guy Hardaker said. "They jumped on us early but we didn't give up. That's something we can take from this. We have the ability to put points up in a hurry. But we still need to do a better job of finishing and that cost us today."
 
Central Oklahoma and Nebraska Kearney, ranked 12th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 and seventh in the Division II CoSIDA Top 25, were all knotted at 10 at the game's first quarter media timeout Sunday. But UCO suddenly found itself down 19-10 at the end of the quarter and soon trailed by nearly 20 in the second frame.
 
The Bronchos were down 40-24 at halftime, but made a huge comeback that took all of the third quarter and most of the fourth.
 
Central outscored Kearney 25-12 in the third to get within three points at the last break, 52-49. The Bronchos kept pushing closer.
 
Trailing 59-57 with 3:51 to play, Karly Wadsworth hit a 3-pointer to give UCO its first lead since the early moments of the game, 60-59.
 
But it seemed Central used all its efforts to reach that point. UNK rolled out a well-timed 8-0 run to follow Wadsworth's three and put the game away.
 
Kelsey Johnson's layup with 50 seconds left was the only other field goal of the game for the Bronchos after Wadsworth's three. Wadsworth added a pair of free-throws in the final seconds.
 
Alayzha Knapp led Central with 19 points Sunday afternoon. The Tulsa native added seven rebounds and a steal. She was 7-for-11 shooting overall and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
 
Johnson posted 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The Washington, Oklahoma native added two assists and a block. She was 7-for-12 shooting overall and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line.
 
Clary Donica gave UCO three in double figures, scoring 11 points off the bench to go with four rebounds.
 
Aliyah Llanusa scored seven points, hitting 2 of 3 from behind the 3-point line to go with one free-throw. Rayner had five, making one three and two free-throw attempts.
 
Wadsworth also had five points, hitting the one 3-pointer that gave the Bronchos a 60-59 lead and then the two free-throws with 15 seconds left.
 
Central Oklahoma is now 7-5 overall this season and 3-3 in the MIAA. The Bronchos are done with the 2021 portion of the 2021-22 season. UCO is off till January 3 when the Bronchos host Newman at Hamilton Field House.
 
 
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