Men's Basketball 12/14/2022 9:33:00 AM Chris Brannick

No. 11 Central Oklahoma Visits Fort Hays State

UCO Makes Final Road Trip of 2022 to Hays, Kansas and Kearney, Nebraska

HAYS, Kan. – No. 11 Central Oklahoma makes its final road trip of the 2022 portion of the 2022-23 season this week with two MIAA contests on the agenda.

UCO tips off at Fort Hays State Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Bronchos are also scheduled to face Nebraska Kearney Sunday afternoon.

"Fort Hays State is a good team and we're going to have to be focused and ready on Friday," UCO head men's basketball coach Bob Hoffman said. "We need to be focused on our execution and our game plan. And we're going to need to play a solid 40 minutes."

Central Oklahoma takes an 8-1 overall record to Hays, Kansas with a 3-1 mark in the MIAA. Fort Hays State welcomes UCO to Gross Memorial Coliseum with a 7-2 overall record and a 2-1 mark in league play.

UCO went on the road and beat Central Missouri and Lincoln before falling at home to Missouri Southern. The Bronchos rebounded with a win over Pitt State this past Sunday. Fort Hays won a pair of home games against Northeastern State (in overtime) and Rogers State. Its game at Missouri Western was postponed before FHSU lost to No. 1 Northwest Missouri this past Saturday.

Fort Hays State leads the all-time series 21-10, but the Bronchos swept the series last season. UCO won by 17 in Kansas last December and picked up an eight-point win in Edmond last February.

Central Oklahoma heads to Hays, Kansas with eight Top 10 marks in Division II stats.

UCO is second nationally in scoring margin, and also overall field-goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage on the defensive side of the floor. The Bronchos outscore opponents by an average of 27.6 points per game. UCO's defense holds opponents to 35.5 percent shooting overall and 25.1 percent on 3-point attempts.

UCO is third nationally in steals per game at 12.8, and fourth nationally with a +8.2 turnover margin. Central's 57.4 points allowed per game ranks fifth in the nation, its 20.1 turnovers forced per game ranks seventh, and its 13.1 fouls per game are the ninth-fewest in the country.

Central Oklahoma also averages 85.0 points per game, which leads the MIAA and is the 22nd-highest mark in Division II.

Jaden Wells leads the Bronchos at 18.9 points per game. The third-year sophomore sharp shooter is hitting 45.5 percent of hits shots overall, 47.8 percent of his 3-point attempts, and 93.1 percent of his free-throws.

Wells has 33 made 3-pointers in nine games played this season. That ranks ninth in the country and his 3.6 made 3-pointers per game is the second-best rate of any player in the country.

Wells also averages 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.

Camryn Givens is averaging 12.7 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game as he also leads the Broncho efforts. Givens is shooting 51.7 percent overall and has made nine 3-pointers in nine games played. He also chips in a 78.9 percent free-throw mark.

Curtis Haywood is averaging 11.1 points per game and leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game. He is also one of six Bronchos with at least 1.0 steal per game. Haywood has 15 steals in nine games.

Luke Haasl (7.2 points, 5.4 rebounds) and Preston Aymond (6.0 points, 4.8 rebounds) are key contributors as well for Central Oklahoma. Mike Quick Jr. (6.3 points), Tre'Veon Ellis (4.1 points) and Ben Averitt (3.7 points) all chip in too.

Jalyn Turner (2.9 points and 2.2 rebounds) continues to be a steady force in the lineup. Turner has played in all nine games this season and in 92 of 93 total games for the Bronchos since joining the squad before the 2019-20 season.

Fort Hays State is led by Kaleb Hammeke's 18.9 points per game. The sophomore guard shoots 46 percent overall and has a team-high 16 made 3-pointers. He also plays a team-high 35 minutes per game. Elijah Nnanabu averages 9.0 points per game and Bjarni Jonsson averages 7.7 points per game. Gabe Pieschl (6.8 points) averages a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game.

Central Oklahoma will take on Fort Hays State Friday night and then head north to visit Kearney, Nebraska on Sunday afternoon. The Bronchos will take a break for the NCAA dead period after this road trip.

UCO is scheduled to return with a three-game homestand after that. The Bronchos host Southwestern Christian (12/28), Washburn (12/31) and No. 22 Emporia State (1/2/2023) at Hamilton Field House after Christmas.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Preston Aymond: F; 6' 7"; Sophomore

#33 Camryn Givens: F; 6' 6"; Senior

#10 Jalyn Turner: F; 6' 6"; Junior

#2 Jaden Wells: G; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#0 Curtis Haywood: G; 6' 5"; Senior

#5 Tre'Veon Ellis: G; 6' 1"; Senior

#11 Luke Haasl: F; 6' 10"; Sophomore

#12 Ben Averitt: G; 6' 6"; Freshman

#24 Mike Quick Jr.: G; 6' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#23 Preston Aymond
: 6' 7"; Sophomore
: F

#33 Camryn Givens
: 6' 6"; Senior
: F

#10 Jalyn Turner
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F

#2 Jaden Wells
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: G

#0 Curtis Haywood
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G

#5 Tre'Veon Ellis
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

#11 Luke Haasl
: 6' 10"; Sophomore
: F

#12 Ben Averitt
: 6' 6"; Freshman
: G

#24 Mike Quick Jr.
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: G