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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Team
86
Winner Central Okla. CentOK 24-4,18-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
61
Newman Newman 9-19,5-17 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Central Okla. CentOK
24-4,18-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
86
Final
61
Newman Newman
9-19,5-17 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Central Okla. CentOK 36 50 86
Newman Newman 23 38 61

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

UCO Routs Newman, Postseason On Deck

WICHITA, Kan. – No. 7 Central Oklahoma cruised to a convincing 86-61 MIAA road in Saturday afternoon at Newman and heads to the MIAA Basketball Championships next weekend on a good note.
 
Central Oklahoma finished the 2022-23 regular season 24-4 overall and 18-4 in the MIAA. The Bronchos matched its conference record from 2021-22, which one the league title a year. UCO will be the No. 2 seed in next week's conference tournament in Kansas City.
 
"We knew we were locked into the No. 2 seed but we wanted to come out and end the regular season on a good note," UCO head men's basketball coach Bob Hoffman said. "That was important to us. We did a good job today of executing and getting that done. Newman is a good team. Now we get to play more games than we scheduled. That's always great."
 
UCO will be the No. 2 seed in the 2023 MIAA Basketball Championship next week in Kansas City, Missouri and will play Thursday, March 2 at 2:15 p.m. against an opponent to be determined. The Bronchos will get the winner of (7) Missouri Southern and (10) Northeastern State, which play Wednesday afternoon in the first round.
 
Saturday, Central Oklahoma led wire-to-wire in its 25-point rout of Newman. The Bronchos took a 3-0 lead when Preston Aymond hit a 3-pointer in the opening minute of play. Newman standout Stevie Strong followed with a layup, but Jaden Wells hit a 3-pointer and then Camryn Givens knocked down a jumper to give UCO an early 8-2 lead.
 
UCO was in control early. The Bronchos did shoot just 42.9 percent from the floor in the first half but hit 4 of 7 threes and 8 of 11 shots from the free-throw line. UCO had a 36-23 lead at the break, with a strong defensive effort. The Bronchos held Newman to 8 of 27 shooting in the first 20 minutes, a 29.6 percent rate. UCO also forced eight turnovers in the opening half.
 
Central Oklahoma opened the second half on a 16-6 run over the first 4:50 of play. The Bronchos hit 5 of 6 shots, all three of their 3-point attempts, and added three free-throws during the stretch that set the tone for the final run.
 
The Bronchos kept that up, hitting 64.3 percent of its shots in the second half, making 18 of 28 from the floor. UCO earned its largest lead late in the game, pulling ahead by 33 points, 84-51, before Newman finished with a little run to reach the final 86-61.
 
Givens finished with a game-high 16 points on 5 of 7 shooting. He made all five of his free-throw attempts and had four boards. Wells scored 13 points and hit three 3-pointers. Curtis Haywood added 11 points and four assists. Preston Aymond, who also had four assists, gave UCO four in double figures with 10 points.
 
11 of 13 Bronchos scored on Saturday. Danquez Dawsey scored nine points to go with three assists, and Tre'Veon Ellis added nine points off the bench. Luke Haasl added eight points, five rebounds and two blocked shots. Mike Quick Jr. scored six and Jalyn Turner and Gunner Korstjens both scored two.
 
Central Oklahoma qualified for the 2023 MIAA Basketball Championships for the 10th time in 11 years since joining the MIAA. The Bronchos will play Thursday in the quarterfinals against either Missouri Southern or Northeastern State. If UCO wins, it will take Friday off before the semifinals on Saturday afternoon. The 2023 MIAA Basketball Championship game is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
 
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