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University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Jaden Wells
62
Central Okla. CentOK 17-8,9-8 Mid-America Intercollegiate
66
Winner Fort Hays St. FHSU 18-5,13-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Central Okla. CentOK
17-8,9-8 Mid-America Intercollegiate
62
Final
66
Fort Hays St. FHSU
18-5,13-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Central Okla. CentOK 21 41 62
Fort Hays St. FHSU 28 38 66

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Bronchos Fall At Fort Hays State

UCO And FHSU Trade Blows For 40 Minutes Before Host Tigers Get MIAA Win

HAYS, Kan. – Central Oklahoma rallied in the second half of its MIAA battle with Fort Hays State Saturday but the host Tigers pulled away in the end with a 66-62 win.
 
UCO, which was without head men's basketball coach Bob Hoffman due to illness, is now 17-8 on the season and 9-8 in the MIAA. Fort Hays State, ranked No. 23 in the NABC Top 25, improved 18-5 on the season and 13-4 in league play.
 
"The guys fought so hard tonight," UCO assistant men's basketball coach Matt Mossman said. "Fort Hays is a really good team and it's hard to win in this place. We gave it all we had and had a chance up to the end."
 
UCO had a 4-0 lead to start the game before an 11-2 run by Hays. Then the Bronchos responded with an 8-0 run to go back in front 14-11. Then it was back to the hosts making another run, this time 8-2, and when Fort Hays State took an 18-16 lead, the Tigers would hold that for half the game.
 
UCO trailed 28-21 at halftime, then started clawing back into the game right as the second half began. A 4-0 run started it, and Central had a 7-0 run soon after to cut it to one point, 35-34, with 12:37 left to play.
 
Central regained the lead for the first time since the early part of the first half when Luke Haasl put home a layup to give the Bronchos a 38-37 advantage with 11:21 to go.
 
Fort Hays again had an answer, going on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes, but the Bronchos fought back. Jaden Wells hit back-to-back 3-pointers and added another free-throw to give Central Oklahoma a 47-46 lead with 7:14 remaining.
 
The game was tied, 48-48, with 6:28 to go before Hays made a 7-0 run. UCO got back to within three, 55-52, with three minutes left, but the Bronchos couldn't deliver the final blow. Wells hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game with three seconds left to cut the lead to three points once again, 65-62, but it was too late as Hays closed out the win with an additional free-throw.
 
Wells led all scorers with 26 points, going 9-for-21 from the floor. The fourth-year junior guard went 5-for-10 from behind the arc and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line.
 
Jalyn Turner chipped in 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting including one 3-pointer. He added four rebounds and two blocked shots. Danquez Dawsey scored 10 points to go with five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
 
Haasl finished with eight points, seven rebounds and one blocked shot. Majok Majouk scored four points and Matthew Willenborg added three to round out the scoring.
 
Central Oklahoma shot 40.4 percent in the game, making 21 of 52 total shots. The Bronchos were 7-for-23 from behind the 3-point line and 13-for-18 from the free-throw line.
 
UCO has five games remaining in the regular season. The Bronchos are currently in a three-way tie for sixth place in the MIAA standings. The Top 10 teams make the postseason tournament March 6-10 in Kansas City, Missouri.
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