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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Avery Allen
68
Central Okla. CentOK 9-5,9-5 Mid-America Intercollegiate
75
Winner Neb.-Kearney UNK 13-2,13-2 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Central Okla. CentOK
9-5,9-5 Mid-America Intercollegiate
68
Final
75
Neb.-Kearney UNK
13-2,13-2 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Central Okla. CentOK 19 22 12 15 68
Neb.-Kearney UNK 15 17 21 22 75

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

UCO Stumbles At Nebraska Kearney

Bronchos Miss Upset Big Of 12th-Rated Lopers

KEARNEY, Neb. – The University of Central Oklahoma women's basketball team came up short in an upset bid of 12th-ranked Nebraska Kearney Thursday night, with the Bronchos losing 75-68 in the MIAA matchup.
 
Central (9-5) plays at Fort Hays State Saturday afternoon.
 
"That was a tale of two halves and the half that they won they just did better," UCO head coach Guy Hardaker said. "We played really well in the first two quarters but they played better in the second half and they did enough to win and we didn't."
 
Central Oklahoma led 41-32 at halftime after two impressive quarters to start the game. But the Bronchos got outscored 43-27 in the second half and had its three-game win streak snapped Thursday night.
 
Avery Allen led all UCO scorers with 14 points and had three assists to go with that. She went 5-for-6 from the floor, 3-for-3 from outside, and added one free-throw in her only attempt at the line Thursday night. Brooke Rayner also scored in double figures, putting up 10 points for the Bronchos. She also had three assists and one steal.
 
Kelsey Johnson, the league's leading scorer, was held to four points and six rebounds due to foul trouble that plagued the senior forward throughout the game. She played a season-low 15 minutes Thursday night.
 
Central responded to an early UNK lead and took a 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bronchos hit 7 of 10 shots in the opening 10 minutes, including 2 of 3 from outside, and added three free-throws to get an early advantage.
 
In the second quarter, the Bronchos outscored UNK 22-17 thanks to more solid shooting. UCO hit 7 of 12 shots in the second 10 minutes, went 2-for-3 from behind the arc again, and made six free-throws to build a nine-point halftime lead. Allen's 11 first-half points sparked the early Central momentum.
 
In the third, the Bronchos opened the quarter on a small 5-2 run to go ahead by 12 points, 46-34. But Kearney, after making just 13 of 32 shots in the first half, went on a big run in the quarter and eventually worked the lead down to zero with just over one minute to play in the third.
 
Tied 53-53 with one quarter to play, Central would be in the game throughout despite the eventual loss. UCO trailed by three early in the fourth, but tied the game, 57-57, on two Aliyah Llanusa free-throws. Central tied it again, 59-59, on a Llanusa second-chance basket with 6:52 to play. But a 7-0 UNK run followed and that seemed to be just enough to topple the Bronchos.
 
UCO was outscored 22-15 in the final frame.
 
Central Oklahoma finished the game shooting 47.9 percent on 23 of 48 shooting. UCO hit 6 of 13 threes and made 16 of 23 free-throws.
 
Taylor Dement added nine points off the bench for the Bronchos. UCO had 30 bench points Thursday night. Llanusa finished with eight, Tayler Factor scored six, Kaci Richardson scored four, and Clary Donica added three points.
 
Jaci Littell scored two – both on free-throws. Caley Young also scored eight points to go with seven rebounds.
 
Central Oklahoma will be back in action Saturday afternoon. The Bronchos take on Fort Hays State at 4 p.m. in Hays, Kansas. The Bronchos will be home again next weekend with just one game – against Newman – Saturday, Feb. 13.
 
 
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