Men's Basketball 2/11/2022 10:30:00 AM Chris Brannick

No. 12 Central Oklahoma Heads North To Newman

WICHITA, Kan. – No. 12 Central Oklahoma heads to Newman for an MIAA matchup Saturday with the Bronchos looking to rebound after a rare setback earlier this week. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Central Oklahoma is 19-4 this season and 14-3 in the MIAA. The Bronchos lost 71-68 to Missouri Western earlier this week but Central still remains in second place in the league standings with five games remaining in the regular season.

UCO has already clinched a berth in the 2022 MIAA Basketball Championships, which are scheduled to return to historic Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri March 2-6.

"We need to respond," UCO head men's basketball coach Bob Hoffman said. "We need to forget about Tuesday and focus on the game in front of us. I think the guys have done a good job in practice this week responding and now we need to do that on the court Saturday."

Central Oklahoma has the highest scoring team in the MIAA. The Bronchos average 83.0 points per game this season. UCO shoots 50.1 percent from the floor, 37.3 percent from behind the 3-point line, and 78.5 percent from the free-throw line. Central is second, third, and third in the league in those three categories respectively.

Isaiah Wade leads UCO in scoring (19.0 points per game), rebounding (8.5) and field goal percentage (58.2). He ranks fourth in the MIAA in scoring and is third in rebounding and second in field goal percentage.

Wade has six double-doubles this season, has scored at least 10 points in 19 of 22 games, and has scored at least 20 points in 10 of 22 games this season.

Callen Haydon is second on the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game and the junior point guard is the engine that makes the Bronchos run. Haydon also averages 5.8 assists per game, a mark that leads the MIAA and is the 13th-best average in the country.

Haydon also shoots 48.4 percent from the floor, 37 percent from behind the 3-point line, and is a stout 89.5 percent free-throw shooter. He also averages 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

Camryn Givens is marginally behind Haydon in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game. He is steadily approaching 1,000 career points at UCO. Givens has scored 932 points in 74 career games with the Bronchos. He could become the 43rd 1,000-point scorer in school history next month. Givens also averages 5.4 rebounds per game.

Jaden Wells comes in fourth on the roster in scoring at 13.8 points per game. The second-year freshman is a lethal threat from behind the 3-point line with a team-high 67 made threes this season. Wells is at 42.7 percent from behind the arc too. Both his total makes and percentage rank among the best in the MIAA. Wells is also averaging 5.5 rebounds per game, second on the team.

Central Oklahoma gets contributions from a handful of other players. Preston Aymond is averaging 8.1 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. Davon Richardson is averaging 5.4 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game. Jalyn Turner (3.3) and Carson Calavan (3.2) also contribute to the scoring load. Calavan averages three assists per game too to help contribute.

Newman welcomes Central Oklahoma to Wichita with a 4-16 overall record this season and a 1-14 record in the MIAA. Three of Newman's four wins this season came against NAIA competition in November. Newman beat Northeastern State last month for its only league win.

Newman averages 65.5 points per game this season. Israel Barnes leads the team in scoring at 18.5 points per game and Stevie Strong averages 13.9 points per game.

Central Oklahoma has five games remaining in the 2021-22 regular season including Saturday's matchup at Newman. The Bronchos are scheduled to play at Rogers State Feb. 16 and Northeastern State Feb. 19 before wrapping up the regular season against Central Missouri Feb. 23 and Missouri Southern Feb. 26 at Hamilton Field House.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Carson Calavan: G; 5' 11"; Sophomore

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

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

#2 Isaiah Wade: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#1 Davon Richardson: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

#24 Jaden Wells: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

#14 Callen Haydon: G; 5' 11"; Junior

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

Players Mentioned

#13 Carson Calavan
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: G

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

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

#2 Isaiah Wade
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#1 Davon Richardson
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

#24 Jaden Wells
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G

#14 Callen Haydon
: 5' 11"; Junior
: G

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