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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Shemar Smith
77
Winner Central Okla. CentOK 11-10,11-10 Mid-America Intercollegiate
75
Central Mo. CentMo 6-15,6-15 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Central Okla. CentOK
11-10,11-10 Mid-America Intercollegiate
77
Final
75
Central Mo. CentMo
6-15,6-15 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Central Okla. CentOK 36 41 77
Central Mo. CentMo 29 46 75

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Outlasts Central Missouri

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The University of Central Oklahoma men's basketball team beat Central Missouri 77-75 Thursday night to snap a three-game slide and keep its postseason hopes alive heading into the final day of the regular season.
 
Central Oklahoma is now 11-10 this season and in a four-way tie for sixth place in the league standings. The Bronchos sit eighth in that tiebreaker ahead of next week's eight-team MIAA Tournament. The Bronchos need a win or an Emporia State loss on Saturday to make the postseason.
 
"Perseverance is the word of the night," UCO head coach Bob Hoffman said after the game. "Our guys persevered tonight in such a big way. We hit a skid this past weekend and it was a bad time to do it but our guys responded tonight and found a way to win. I'm so proud of the all of them. Everybody did something tonight that helped us win the ball game."
 
Central Oklahoma led for almost 26 minutes in the game that saw eight lead changes and five ties. Davon Richardson hit a 3-pointer with five minutes left in the first half, and Central Oklahoma led all the way till six minutes left in the second half.
 
After UCM finally regained the lead, thoughts of a three-game losing streak – in which Central held a lead in each – started to bubble to the surface. But UCO responded Thursday.
 
UCM led by as many as four down the stretch, going up 69-65 with over four minutes to play, and again 71-67 with over three minutes to play. But Richardson knocked down a jumper before Jaden Wells hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game and gave Central a 72-71 lead.
 
The two squads traded missed buckets after that and then twice traded turnovers before Central's next big play that capped off the win.
 
Callen Haydon found Isaiah Wade cutting to the basket and the big senior forward went up for a layup, drew contact, and put home the basket. He added a free-throw to make it 75-71 with just 43 seconds remaining.
 
The teams shared a couple of free-throws after that. UCO made a defensive stand in the end before a buzzer beating layup brought the final score to 77-75.
 
Haydon led Central Oklahoma with 20 points Thursday night. It's the fourth consecutive game the junior point guard scored at least 20. He's posted 21, 21, 32, and now 20. Haydon also had eight assists. He was 6-for-10 from the floor, 2-for-4 from behind the arc, and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line.
 
Wells added 19 points. He hit a 3-pointer to open the game and another 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer. Wells was 7-for-12 from the floor Thursday, hitting 5 of 10 threes. He also had five rebounds and two steals.
 
Wade finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Richardson scored 11 points and had three rebounds. Camryn Givens and Shemar Smith both scored six and Jalyn Turner added three.
 
UCO finished shooting 52.8 percent from the floor, going 28-for-52 overall. The Bronchos were 9-for-25 from behind the arc and 12-for-19 from the free-throw line.
 
Central Oklahoma will now turn its attention to the final game of the 2020-21 regular season. The Bronchos take on Missouri Southern Saturday with tipoff scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
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