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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Karly Wadsworth
95
Winner Central Okla. UCO 5-3, 1-1 MIAA
76
Pittsburg State PSU 5-2, 1-1 MIAA
Winner
Central Okla. UCO
5-3, 1-1 MIAA
95
Final
76
Pittsburg State PSU
5-2, 1-1 MIAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Central Okla. UCO 16 20 33 26 95
Pittsburg State PSU 15 22 22 17 76

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Central Picks Up First League Win Saturday

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team picked up its first MIAA win of the season Saturday afternoon, overpowering Pittsburg State 95-76.
 
Central Oklahoma is 5-3 overall this season after the win and 1-1 in the MIAA.
 
Kelsey Johnson led Central with a huge double-double. The senior forward scored 27 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. She was 9-for-16 from the floor and 9-for-11 from the free-throw line.
 
Johnson was one of five Bronchos in double figures.
 
Karly Wadsworth scored a career-high 17 points, going 6-for-7 from the floor. The second-year freshman from Oologah, Oklahoma went 5-for-6 from behind the 3-point line. She also had three steals in the game.
 
Aliyah Llanusa scored 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting. Clary Donica scored 11 points off the bench to go with eight rebounds. And Brooke Rayner scored 10 points on 5 of 9 shooting to go with five assists.
 
Central Oklahoma led after one quarter of play Saturday, but it had to work for that. Pittsburg State led 6-0 after 73 seconds of play before two Llanusa free-throws put Central on the scoreboard. PSU then hit a 3-pointer to make it 9-2. Central used an 6-0 run to close the gap, and finally took its first lead of the game on a pair of Rory Geer free-throws with 45 seconds left. Those made it 16-15, which is how the teams went to the break.
 
The back and forth continued, with five lead changes in the second quarter. Central led by as many as five points, 27-22, thanks to a 9-0 run midway through the frame. Wadsworth hit a 3-pointer, then Rayner added a layup. Then Wadsworth made a layup of her own before Rayner did it again to give UCO the five-point advantage with 5:13 to play till halftime.
 
The teams traded blows to end the first half. Pitt State hit a three to go up 34-33 with 1:53 to play. Wadsworth hit her second 3-pointer of the quarter to put Central back in front, 36-34, then PSU hit one more three with two seconds left to take a 37-36 lead at the break.
 
In the second half, Central took over.
 
UCO outscored Pittsburg State 33-22 in the third quarter alone, hitting 62.5 percent of its shots and the Bronchos went 11-for-11 from the free-throw line to grow its lead to 10 heading to the final quarter.
 
Central was better in the fourth.
 
The Bronchos outscored Pittsburg State 26-17 in the final frame. UCO hit 11 of 15 shots, 73.3 percent, including 3 of 6 from behind the 3-point line, as Central Oklahoma pulled away for its first league win of the new season.
 
Jaci Littell almost gave Central a sixth Broncho in double figures. She scored nine points, hitting one 3-pointer and four free-throws. Alayzha Knapp added six points and six rebounds. Geer finished with two points and Avery Allen added one. Allen also led the team with seven assists.
 
Central finished at 54.8 percent from the floor. The Bronchos hit 7 of 21 threes and 20 of 25 free-throws.
 
UCO ended an early season long haul, playing each of it last six games on the road. The Bronchos went 3-3 in that stretch.
 
Central returns home next weekend as MIAA action continues at Hamilton Field House. The Bronchos are scheduled to play Washburn on Thursday before hosting Emporia State next Saturday.
 
 
 
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