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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Jaden Wells
67
Northeastern St. NE 5-9,0-8 Mid-America Intercollegiate
72
Winner Central Okla. CentOK 14-3,6-3 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Northeastern St. NE
5-9,0-8 Mid-America Intercollegiate
67
Final
72
Central Okla. CentOK
14-3,6-3 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northeastern St. NE 30 37 67
Central Okla. CentOK 37 35 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Jaden Wells, Central Oklahoma, Too Much For NSU

Bronchos Beat Northeastern State 72-67 At Hamilton Field House Thursday Night

EDMOND – No. 17 Central Oklahoma beat Northeastern State 72-67 Thursday night in an MIAA matchup at Hamilton Field House, extending the Broncho win streak over rival NSU to six games.
 
Central Oklahoma improved to 14-3 on the season with the win and the Bronchos are now 6-3 in the MIAA. NSU fell to 5-9 with the loss and 0-8 in league play.
 
"We wish it wouldn't have been so close in the end, I wish we could've closed out better, but we got the win and that's what matters at the end of the game," UCO head men's coach Bob Hoffman said. "We played well tonight for being short-handed again. Our defense was good, we made our free-throws, it was a good win."
 
Central Oklahoma blew a 14-point lead in the second half. Up 62-48 with 8:10 to play in the game, Northeastern State started an improbable run and got to within one point, 65-64, with two minutes remaining. But the Bronchos closed out strong from there and finished off the win.
 
Jaden Wells led all scorers with 27 points. The fourth-year junior guard moved over 1,500 career points and is just the seventh player in school history to ever reach that mark. He moved into sixth place on the all-time scoring list and now has 1,525 points for his career.
 
Thursday, Wells did it the way he has all throughout his career – via the 3-pointer. Wells sank five more on Thursday, extending his school record. He also used his defense to spark the offense. Wells had two steals, right at his MIAA-leading average.
 
Mike Quick Jr. posted 11 points off the bench. He made and attempted more free-throws than any other player on the floor Thursday, going 7-for-10 from the line. Quick Jr. also had two rebounds and two steals.
 
Luke Haasl made it three in double figures when he scored 10 points. He also had five rebounds, one steal, and one block. Haasl went 4-for-6 from the free-throw line and iced the game with two free-throws, his only attempts in the game, that he sank with six seconds left to give Central the 72-67 lead.
 
There was one lead change in the game on Thursday. After NSU went in front 1-0 with a free-throw in the opening minute, UCO took a 2-1 lead. That turned into 6-1 moments later. The Bronchos led by as many as eight in the first half.
 
Leading 34-30 in the final seconds before halftime, Wells got one of his team-high eight rebounds and darted up the floor, pulling up just in front of halfcourt and banking in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give UCO a 37-30 lead going to the break.
 
A 6-0 run to start the second half put UCO in command of the game. That lasted until the final eight minutes. After Haasl put the Bronchos up 62-48 with a layup with 8:10 on the game clock, NSU started its run to make things interesting down the stretch. An 8-0 run by the guest Riverhawks made it 65-64 with two minutes left.
 
There was also only one tie in the game and that came in the final minute. After Wells made a layup to put the Bronchos up 67-64, NSU made one free-throw with 90 seconds left, then two more with 37 seconds left to tie the game, 67-67.
 
Wells made another layup, drawing contact and a free-throw. He sank it to make it 70-67 with 12 seconds left. NSU missed, fouled Haasl, and he finished off the victory.
 
Wells went 10-for-22 from the floor and 5-for-13 from behind the arc. He went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, converting two 3-point plays the hard way.
 
Jalyn Turner and Majok Majouk both added seven points in starting roles. Matthew Willenborg scored four points off the bench. With Quick Jr.'s 11, those two had all of Central's 15 bench points in the game.
 
Central Oklahoma returns to action this weekend for another in-state MIAA rivalry game. The Bronchos host Rogers State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. inside Hamilton Field House.
 
 
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