Men's Basketball 2/4/2022 1:49:00 PM Chris Brannick

No. 16 UCO Hosts Fort Hays State

EDMOND – No. 16 Central Oklahoma is scheduled to host Fort Hays State on Saturday in a crucial late season matchup of teams hovering at the top of the MIAA. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Hamilton Field House.

Central Oklahoma is 18-3 this season and has a 13-2 record in league play, which puts the Bronchos second in the MIAA standings. Fort Hays State is 16-3 overall this season and 11-3 in the MIAA, which puts the Tigers of Hays, Kansas third in the league standings.

The 2022 MIAA Basketball Championships are scheduled for the first week of March in Kansas City, Missouri. The top 10 teams make the tournament and the top teams get a first-round bye, putting significant implications on Saturday's matchup at Hamilton Field House.

"We did a great job of responding on Thursday after losing a game last weekend," UCO head men's basketball coach Bob Hoffman said. "That was our top priority, have a good week of practice and get back on track and I think credit to our guys for doing that. Fort Hays is a good team, the play great defense, and we need to come out and execute on Saturday."

Central Oklahoma had a 13-game win streak snapped last Saturday at Washburn, but the Bronchos responded with a 16-point victory over Nebraska Kearney on Thursday night in Edmond.

UCO welcomes FHSU to Edmond on Saturday in a matchup of the league's best offense vs. the league's best defense.

Central averages 84.1 points per game this season. Fort Hays allows just 58.6. Both are the best marks of any team in the MIAA. UCO also shoots 50.4 percent overall while FHSU holds opponents to 40.4 percent shooting overall.

UCO is led by Isaiah Wade, who averages a team-high 19.3 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game. He also leads the team in field-goal percentage, shooting 59.5 percent on the season. Wade is a combined 150-for-252 this season through 20 games played. He's also a 45.2 percent 3-point shooter, making 14 of 31 from outside this season. Wade shoots 66.7 percent from the free-throw line. He's made a team-high 72 shots from the stripe on a team-high 108 attempts.

Camryn Givens, Jaden Wells and Callen Haydon are all averaging 14 points per game for the Bronchos.

Givens averages 14.5 points per game to go with 5.5 rebounds per game. He shoots 53.1 percent from the floor, 41.3 percent from behind the 3-point line, and 76.3 percent from the free-throw line.

Wells averages 14.4 points per game to go with 5.4 rebounds per game. He shoots 45.4 percent overall and is the team leader shooting the ball outside the arc. Wells shoots 43.9 percent from 3-point range, making a team-high 65 from deep on 148 attempts. He's third in the MIAA in made 3-pointers this season. Wells is also a 94.4 percent free-throw shooter, having made 51 of 54 attempts this season. He ranks No. 1 in the country in free-throw percentage.

Haydon averages also averages 14.4 points per game and he leads the team and the MIAA in assists at 5.9 per game. Haydon has 118 total assists this season and is among the best in the country at passing the rock. Haydon shoots 49.3 percent overall, 37.3 percent from 3-point range, and 89.6 percent from the free-throw line, having made 60 of 67 attempts from the line this season.

Preston Aymond and Davon Richardson head up the second unit for the Bronchos.

Aymond is averaging 8.2 points per game and also pulls down 4.7 rebounds per game. He shoots 52.1 percent overall, 35.8 percent from behind the arc, and 86.1 percent from the free-throw line. Richardson averages 5.9 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game. He shoots 51.8 percent overall, 30.6 percent from behind the arc, and 68.6 percent from the free-throw line.

Jalyn Turner is a do-it-all role player in the starting lineup. He averages 3.3 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per game. He's a 41.7 percent shooter overall. Carson Calavan, who averages 3.1 points per game, also averages 3.1 assists per game and ranks in the top 10 in the MIAA along with Haydon in that category.

Fort Hays State only allows 58.6 points per game this season. The Tigers score 70.3 per game. Jared Vitztum leads the Tigers at 15.1 points per game and Kaleb Hammeke averages the same. Vitztum also averages 10.1 rebounds per game, the highest rate in the MIAA. Hammeke adds three assists and one steal per game too. Nyjee Wright also averages double figures for the Tigers at 11.4 points per game.

Central Oklahoma and Fort Hays State did play earlier this season in Hays, Kansas and it was a blowout victory on the road for the Bronchos. UCO won 77-60 in that meeting. Fort Hays State owns a 17-6 lead in the all-time series with Central Oklahoma.

Saturday marks the second of three-straight home games for the Bronchos. UCO is scheduled to play Missouri Western on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 3:30 p.m. inside Hamilton Field House. The Bronchos are making up a game originally scheduled for Jan. 22 in Edmond that was postponed due to health & safety protocols.

Central Oklahoma will play three on the road after that matchup next week. UCO visits Newman, Rogers State and Northeastern State before returning home to face Central Missouri and Missouri Southern on the final weekend of the regular season later this month.

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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