Women's Basketball 2/28/2023 8:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma Begins Postseason In Kansas City

UCO Plays Emporia State Wednesday Night in the First Round of the 2023 MIAA Basketball Championship

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Central Oklahoma meets Emporia State Wednesday night in the first round of the 2023 MIAA Basketball Championship at historic Municipal Auditorium. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.

UCO, which is 10-16 overall and finished the regular season with a 7-15 record in MIAA play, is the No. 10 seed in the 10-team postseason tournament. ESU, 14-14 overall and 9-13 in league play, is the No. 7 seed in the tournament.

Wednesday will mark the fifth time the two schools have met in the MIAA Basketball Championship. UCO is 1-4 against Emporia in the tournament, however, the Bronchos did win the most recent meeting. Last March in Kansas City, UCO was the No. 7 seed and Emporia the No. 10 seed and it was the Bronchos advancing in convincing fashion with an 88-53 victory.

UCO joined the MIAA ahead of the 2012-13 season and after not making the postseason tournament that year, Central is headed to the annual event for the 10th consecutive season. Wednesday will mark the debut in the tournament for first-year head women's coach Emma Andrews. Hired last May to lead the Bronchos, Andrews takes UCO to Kansas City looking to improve on its 6-1 all-time record in the first round.

Central Oklahoma averages 68.3 points per game through 26 games played this season. The Bronchos shoot 39.4 percent overall, 29.9 percent from behind the 3-point line (6.4 makes per game), and 73.8 percent from the free-throw line (12.2 makes per game).

Defensively, opponents score 73.9 points per game against the Bronchos. UCO holds the opposition to 41.1 percent shooting overall, 34.3 percent from behind the 3-point line (7.5 makes per game), and 73.2 percent from the free-throw line (15.3 makes per game).

Central Oklahoma gets nearly all of its scoring from five different players. Alayzha Knapp leads the team at 13.2 points per game, Karly Wadsworth averages 12.1, and Brooke Rayner an even 12. Aliyah Llanusa also averages double figures at 10.4 points per game and Aspen Williston adds 9.8 per game. UCO's 10 other squad members score 19.1 points per game.

Knapp, who shoots 38.8 percent from the floor, also averages 4.7 rebounds per game and just over one steal and one block per game.

Wadsworth, with a team-high 51 made 3-pointers this season, also averages 2.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.

Rayner, a fifth-year senior, has spent this season etching her name in the UCO history books. She is currently No. 8 on Central's all-time scoring list with 1,092 career points, No. 7 on the all-time assists list with 303, No. 6 on the career 3-pointers made list with 150, and No. 3 on the all-time steals list with 210.

Rayner averages 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.1 steals per game this season.

Llanusa is the leader in both getting to the line, and putting home free-throws. She has a team-high 81 made free-throws and 111 attempts. Llanusa also leads UCO in rebounding at 6.5 boards per game.

Williston, a 52.6 percent shooter nearly mostly in the paint, is tied with Rayner for a team-high 111 made shots this season. She also averages 4.7 rebounds per game and leads the Bronchos with 57 blocks. That total is second in the MIAA, but tied for first at 2.2 blocks per game.

Emporia State heads to Kansas City averaging 67.9 points per game this season. The Lady Hornets give up 67.0 for a less-than-one scoring margin. ESU shoots 38.6 percent overall, 26.4 percent from behind the arc with 6.6 makes per game, and 72.4 percent from the free-throw line with 11.1 makes per game.

Former MIAA Player of the Year Tre'Zure Jobe leads the league in scoring at 22.3 points per game and also averages 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 steals, and 2.8 assists per game.

The winner of Wednesday night's UCO-Emporia battle will advance to the MIAA Basketball Championship quarterfinals Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. against the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Central Missouri.

The MIAA semifinals are scheduled for Saturday night and the 2023 MIAA Basketball Championship game is Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

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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

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

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

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