Skip To Main Content

University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Davon Richardson
87
Winner Central Okla. CentOK 7-5,7-5 Mid-America Intercollegiate
79
Neb.-Kearney UNK 5-10,5-10 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Central Okla. CentOK
7-5,7-5 Mid-America Intercollegiate
87
Final
79
Neb.-Kearney UNK
5-10,5-10 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Central Okla. CentOK 47 40 87
Neb.-Kearney UNK 39 40 79

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos Outrun Antelopes

Central Oklahoma Tops Kearney In Dominant Win

KEARNEY, Neb. – The University of Central Oklahoma men's basketball team extended its win streak to four and pushed its record in the new year to 6-1 following an 87-79 victory over Nebraska Kearney Thursday night.
 
Central Oklahoma (7-5) led by as many as 16 points in the first half and had a 19-point lead in the second half. The Bronchos held off rally after rally by UNK to come away with the win.
 
"I would really have to give a shout-out to each and every one of our guys if I started with just one of them," UCO head men's basketball coach Bob Hoffman said. "With the way our schedule has ended up with 12 games in February, our depth is crucial and I think everyone that went tonight gave us something that helped us win."
 
UCO got off to a 5-0 start thanks to an Isaiah Wade layup that included a free-throw to follow and a Camryn Givens fastbreak layup following a steal by Callen Haydon. Then Kearney hit back-to-back 3-pointers to go in front 6-5.
 
But Jaden Wells had an answer with a 3-pointer of his own to put the Bronchos ahead 7-6 with 16:44 to play in the first half and Central Oklahoma never trailed again.
 
A few moments later in the first half, a UNK bucket with 14:24 to play made it 14-10 UCO. Then the Bronchos went on one of the better runs they've made all season, scoring the next 12 points to build a 26-10 lead with 11:05 to play in the opening half.
 
Davon Richardson intercepted a pass near halfcourt and drove all the way in for a dunk to start the run. Then Wells – after getting an offensive rebound – knocked down his first 3-pointer of the game to make it 5-0. Richardson scored again off another turnover to make it 7-0.
 
Then Wade got in on the run with a layup and was fouled while putting the ball. He made the free-throw to extend the run to 10-0. And Jalyn Turner made it 12-0 with a layup of his own. That made it 26-10 with 11:05 still to play in the first half.
 
UNK did turn it up down the stretch. The Lopers made nine 3-pointers in the first half to keep the deficit manageable. Central led 47-39 at halftime.
 
In the second half, trying to best its big first-half run, Central went on a 10-0 run in the first 2:39 back on the floor.
 
Wade scored two, then Turner made a free-throw. Givens scored two, then Turner put in the next five all on his own. That 10-0 gave the Bronchos a commanding 57-39 lead.
 
UCO's biggest lead of the game was 19 points, following a Wade layup and-1 that made it 60-41 with 16:12 to play in the game.
 
UNK did make a run after that, 15-6, but Central still led by 10, 66-56, at the second half's under-10 media timeout. Then Kearney made its biggest push and closed the 19-point lead down all the way to two points, 70-68, capping off a 27-8 run over the span of 8:49 seconds.
 
After the teams matched up 8-8 over the next 5:27, Central closed out the game on a run to take the victory.
 
Wells hit his second 3-pointer with 1:31 to play before Wade slammed home an alley-oop dunk with 55 seconds left, which happened before a Haydon fastbreak layup off a turnover with 21 seconds to play. That 7-0 run made it a nine-point game.
 
UNK hit a 3-pointer before two Givens free-throws brought the score to its final, 87-79.
 
Central Oklahoma's 87 points tied a season high, which was set earlier this week in an 87-76 win over Lincoln in Edmond.
 
The Bronchos finished the night shooting 57.4 percent, making 31 of 54 shots. UCO made 8 of 15 3-pointers and 17 of 22 free-throws.
 
Wade led UCO with 18 points and eight rebounds. He was 6-for-12 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line. Givens scored 17 points to go with five rebounds. He was 6-for-10 from the floor, hit two 3-pointers, and went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.
 
Haydon and Wells each scored 10 points. Haydon was 5-for-6 from the free-throw line and hit one 3-pointer. He also had eight assist and four rebounds. Wells hit two 3-pointers and had six boards, three assists, and two steals.
 
Shemar Smith scored 14 points off the bench for the Bronchos and Richardson scored 10 – all in the first half – off the bench as well. That totaled the 24 bench points Central had Thursday night.
 
Central Oklahoma continues a three-game road trip (in a four-day span) Saturday at Fort Hays State. The Bronchos are scheduled to tipoff at 2 p.m. in Hays, Kansas before trekking over St. Joseph, Missouri to take on Missouri Western Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Print Friendly Version
Skip Ad
Skip Sponsors