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

UCO Visits Washburn Saturday

TOPEKA, Kan. – Central Oklahoma hits the road for its only game this week as the Bronchos take on Washburn Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lee Arena.

Central Oklahoma is 7-14 this season with a 4-13 record in the MIAA. Washburn, which edged the Bronchos 75-73 in Edmond on New Year's Eve, is 9-13 overall and 5-11 in league play.

"We know we have to get some wins down the stretch to get to the postseason and we're focused on doing that," UCO head women's coach Emma Andrews said. "We felt like we played good against Washburn in December, and we need to do that again but a little bit better."

UCO is tied for 10th in the MIAA standings with Newman, which beat Washburn Wednesday night in Wichita. The top 10 teams in the league make the postseason tournament March 1-5 in Kansas City. UCO owns the tiebreaker with Newman and still plays there on the final day of the regular season.

Central Oklahoma (4-13) has five games remaining over the next three weeks. The Bronchos play Washburn (5-11), Rogers State (2-14), Northeastern State (3-13), Northwest Missouri (6-10), and Newman (4-13) as all six schools battle for a spot in the postseason.

UCO goes to Washburn looking to snap a four-game losing streak. The Bronchos are averaging 68.5 points per game this season and opponents are scoring 74.5 against Central Oklahoma. UCO shoots 39.0 percent overall, 29.8 percent from behind the 3-point line, and 74.1 percent from the free-throw line. The Bronchos average 6.4 made 3-pointers per game and 12.4 made free-throws per game.

Karly Wadsworth leads the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game this season. The third-year sophomore has a team-high 45 made 3-pointers. She ranks fifth in the MIAA in total makes and is fourth in the league in makes per game, 2.1. Wadsworth also ranks ninth in the MIAA in steals with a 2.0 average. She has a team-high 41 steals through 21 games this season.

Brooke Rayner, who averages 10.4 points per game, is at No. 10 in the league in steals at 1.9 per game. She has 39 steals in 21 games. Rayner also has 195 steals in her career with the Bronchos, which ranks third on the school's all-time list. Rayner leads the team in assists too this season, averaging 3.5 per game.

Aliyah Llanusa is averaging 10.3 points per game this season and is the team's leading rebounder at 6.6 boards per game. Llansua also averages 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

Aspen Williston dipped back into single digits but is still averaging 9.6 points per game. The forward is shooting 55.8 percent from the floor and is also averaging 4.2 rebounds per game. Williston leads the Bronchos in blocked shots with 39. Her 1.9 blocks per game ranks second in the MIAA.

Washburn welcomes UCO to Topeka averaging 56.5 points per game this season and is allowing 58.4 points. Aubree Dewey leads the team, scoring 10.5 points per game and also averages 4.1 boards per game. Washburn has six players averaging between 5-8 points per game.

Central Oklahoma hosts Rogers State at Hamilton Field House next Wednesday and Northeastern State next Saturday in the final home game of the regular season.

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Players Mentioned

#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

#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