Men's Basketball 2/28/2023 9:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

UCO Returns To Kansas City For Postseason

Central Oklahoma Is The No. 2 Seed In The 2023 MIAA Basketball Championship

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Central Oklahoma begins the postseason Thursday afternoon with the 2023 MIAA Basketball Championship quarterfinals at historic Municipal Auditorium. The Bronchos play at 2:15 p.m. against Missouri Southern.

UCO went 24-4 this season and posted an 18-4 record in the MIAA to earn the No. 2 seed in this week's tournament. Missouri Southern went 16-12, 12-10 this season and earned the No. 7 seed in the tournament. The Lions beat (10) Northeastern State, 70-60, on Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the tournament to advance to Thursday's quarterfinal.

Central Oklahoma's 18-4 conference record includes two losses to Missouri Southern. The Bronchos will be the No. 2 seed in the tournament for the first time in 10 trips to the league's postseason affair. Last season, UCO earned the No. 1 seed for the first time in school history and reached the MIAA Basketball Championship semifinals for the fifth time. Hoffman is aiming for the team's second trip to the championship game on Sunday afternoon.

UCO's 24 wins this season are not only tied with last season's final tally, but also the sixth most in school history.

Central Oklahoma enters the postseason averaging 75.8 points per game. The Bronchos shoot 46.2 percent overall, 35.2 percent from behind the 3-point line with 7.4 makes per game, and 76.7 percent from the free-throw line with 17.0 makes per game.

Defensively, Central Oklahoma allows just 61.1 points per game. The Bronchos hold opponents to 39.1 percent shooting overall, 31.5 percent behind the 3-point line (7.0 makes per game), and 69.5 percent from the free-throw line (10.3) makes per game.

Jaden Wells leads UCO in scoring at 16.7 points per game, a mark that ranks fifth in the MIAA. The sophomore guard is second in the league with 73 made 3-pointers this season. He shoots 44.3 percent overall, 43.5 percent from behind the arc, and 84.8 percent from the free-throw line. Wells also averages 4.4 rebounds per game and 1.5 steals per game.

Camryn Givens adds 13.7 points per game and is a 49.4 percent shooter. He makes 37.2 percent of his 3-point attempts and 80.4 percent of his free-throws. He is the team's second leading rebounder at 5.8 boards per game.

Wells and Givens have both made their way into the 1,000-point club at UCO. Givens is up to ninth in school history with 1,389 career points and Wells is 28th with 1,153 career points.

Curtis Haywood has been a do-it-all for the Bronchos this season. He is averaging 12.3 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, 4.0 assists per game, 2.0 steals per game, and 0.7 blocks per game as the Mustang, Oklahoma native put together one of the most complete seasons in the MIAA. He shot 42.0 percent on the year, 29.5 percent from behind the arc, and 87.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Preston Aymond, in his second year with the program, has started every game and is averaging 7.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He has 21 blocks in 28 games as well.

Danquez Dawsey, moving into a starting role in place of the injured All-MIAA guard Callen Haydon, has grown exponentially throughout the season for the Bronchos. He is averaging 6.5 points per game, 2.4 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game, and 0.9 steals per game this season. And all in 20.5 minutes per game for the true sophomore point guard.

Luke Haasl is averaging 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game off the bench for the Bronchos. The third-year sophomore big man is also averaging an MIAA-best 1.4 blocks per game this season.

Jalyn Turner, who has played in 111 games at UCO, is averaging 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Both are career highs for the versatile role player from Houston, Texas.

Missouri Southern finished the 2022-23 regular season 16-12 overall and 12-10 in the MIAA. The Lions from Joplin, Missouri tied for sixth-place but landed in the seven-spot due to tiebreaker rules. Northeastern State posted a 12-14 overall record and a 9-13 record in the MIAA. The Riverhawks of Tahlequah, Oklahoma tied for ninth in the league standings but also landed 10th due to tiebreaker rules.

MSSU and NSU tipoff at 2:15 p.m. Wednesday. The winner gets the Bronchos at the same time Thursday afternoon. The MIAA Basketball Championship semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at 2:15 p.m. with the championship game set for Sunday at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

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

#3 Danquez Dawsey: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

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

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

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

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

#3 Danquez Dawsey
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G

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

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

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

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

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

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