Women's Basketball 12/14/2022 11:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Visit Fort Hays State

Central Oklahoma Makes Final Road Trip of 2022 At Fort Hays State and Nebraska Kearney

HAYS, Kan. – Central Oklahoma visits Fort Hays State Friday evening in the first of two MIAA road games for the Bronchos this weekend.

UCO tips off at Fort Hays State Friday at 5:30 p.m. The Bronchos are also scheduled to face Nebraska Kearney Sunday afternoon.

"We have to come out ready to play better than we have lately," UCO head women's basketball coach Emma Andrews said. "We have to play our best for 40 minutes. That's been hurting us and we need to be focused on that this weekend."

Central Oklahoma takes a 4-4 overall record to Hays, Kansas with a 1-3 mark in the MIAA. Fort Hays State welcomes UCO to Gross Memorial Coliseum with an 8-3 overall record and a 4-0 mark in league play.

The Bronchos are averaging 76.4 points per game through eight games played this season. UCO is shooting 41.9 percent overall, 34.1 percent from behind the 3-point line, and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Four Bronchos scoring in double figures lead the UCO offense this season.

Alayzha Knapp averages a team-high 15.8 points per game, Karly Wadsworth adds 14.4, Brooke Rayner 12.6, and Aliyah Llanusa adds 10.8 points per game. The foursome has played in and started all eight games this season for UCO.

Knapp is shooting 45 percent overall and has made nine 3-pointers in eight games. She is second on the team with 17 made free-throws and third on the team with a 3.9 rebounds per game average.

Wadsworth is shooting 40.8 percent overall. She has a team-high 20 made 3-pointers in eight games and that mark ranks seventh in the MIAA. Wadsworth also leads the team with 21 steals, which is also seventh in the MIAA.

Rayner is shooting 38.9 percent overall and 33.3 percent from behind the arc. She leads the team with 31 total assists, marginally under 4.0 per game.

Llanusa is shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the 3-point line. She is the team's leading rebounder at 6.5 boards per game. She has 17 offensive rebounds and 35 on the defensive end.

A trio of Bronchos are all averaging four points per game. Aspen Williston (4.5), Kassie Boorer (4.1) and Ginger Reece (4.1) all add to the offense.

Williston's 4.3 rebounds per game are the second most on the team and she joins Knapp with a team-high 10 blocked shots. The two rank eighth in the MIAA in total blocks.

Fort Hays State averages 66.7 points per game, with the team shooting a combined 39.3 percent overall this season. The Tigers shoot 30.7 percent from behind the arc and 76.5 percent from the free-throw line.

Katie Wagner (13.8) and Olivia Hollenbeck (12.1) lead the team in scoring. Wagner is also the team's leading rebounder at 8.4 boards per game and Hollenbeck is second at 4.2 rebounds per contest.

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 pair of MIAA home games after that. The Bronchos host Washburn on New Year's Eve and Emporia State on January 2, 2023, at Hamilton Field House.

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Players Mentioned

#15 Alayzha Knapp: F; 6' 2"; Junior

#22 Aliyah Llanusa: G; 5' 7"; Junior

#11 Brooke Rayner: G; 5' 7"; Senior

#35 Ginger Reece: F; 5' 11"; Junior

#21 Karly Wadsworth: G; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#3 Kassie Boorer: F; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#30 Aspen Williston: F; 6' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#15 Alayzha Knapp
: 6' 2"; Junior
: F

#22 Aliyah Llanusa
: 5' 7"; Junior
: G

#11 Brooke Rayner
: 5' 7"; Senior
: G

#35 Ginger Reece
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F

#21 Karly Wadsworth
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: G

#3 Kassie Boorer
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: F

#30 Aspen Williston
: 6' 4"; Senior
: F