Men's Basketball 2/15/2024 9:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Host Washburn Ichabods Saturday At Hamilton

Central Oklahoma Turns Down Final Stretch With Final Five Games

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma hosts Washburn Saturday afternoon in a crucial late season MIAA battle at Hamilton Field House. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Central Oklahoma is 17-8 on the season and 9-8 in the MIAA. The Bronchos are tied for seventh place in the league standings with five games remaining. Washburn is 15-8 overall and 11-6 in league play. The Ichabods from Topeka, Kansas are third in the league standings.

UCO lost 75-68 at Washburn back on January 4 in Topeka. The Bronchos led 60-59 coming out of the five-minute timeout but trailed by three a minute later and let the road game slip away.

Central Oklahoma hosts Washburn on Saturday averaging 76.2 points per game through 25 games played this season. The Bronchos shoot 45.5 percent from the floor overall and 35.6 percent from behind the 3-point line with an average of 7.6 makes per game. UCO also shoots 74.7 percent from the free-throw line with 15.9 makes per game.

Defensively, UCO concedes 65.2 points per game. Opponents shoot 42.2 percent against the Bronchos, and average 6.2 made 3-pointers per game and 13.5 made free-throws per game.

Jaden Wells and Danquez Dawsey both average double figures leading the Bronchos in scoring, and the two are second and third in rebounding for UCO too. Wells scores 19.8 points per game and pulls down 4.2 rebounds per game. Dawsey averages 13.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. The duo adds in other ways with Wells' 2.1 steals per game and Dawsey's 5.3 assists per game, where both rank in the top 10 in the country.

UCO's two junior guards were named to Small College Basketball's Bevo Francis Award Top 100 Watchlist last month. Thursday, Wells was named to the Top 50 Watchlist.

The fourth-year junior from Hurst, Texas leads the MIAA in scoring at 19.8 points per game. He has career-high 495 total points scored this season and is set to become the 42nd player in UCO history to score 500 points in one season. Wells currently ranks fourth in career scoring with 1,709 points.

Wells is top four in UCO history in seven different statistical categories after 111 career games played. He ranks fifth in free-throws made (334), and fourth in field goals made (540) and steals (168). Wells ranks third in field goals attempted (1,282). Earlier this season, he became UCO's all-time leader in 3-pointers made (295) and attempted (747).

Dawsey this season ranks fifth in the country in total assists (132) and the third-year junior guard scored his 500th career points earlier this season. He has 578 through 76 career games played.

Jalyn Turner has added his biggest contributions in his fifth year. The Houston native has played in 140 career games at UCO. His 5.7 points and 2.6 rebounds this year are both career highs.

With Wells, Dawsey, and Turner, UCO also has Mike Quick Jr., Luke Haasl, Majok Majouk, and Matthew Willenborg chipping in a lot of work.

Quick Jr. missed his first game of the season last week but is averaging 9.0 points per game in 24 games off the bench this season. The sophomore from New York shoots 47.6 percent from the floor and 23 of his 70 made baskets are 3-pointers.

Haasl adds 8.3 points per game and a team-high 5.5 rebounds per game. He also defends the rim with 37 total blocks on the year, 1.5 per game. Haasl ranks third in the MIAA in total blocks.

Majouk is averaging 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in his first season with the Bronchos. The 6-foot-10 sophomore wing has 25 blocked shots in 25 games. Willenborg, a freshman post player, is averaging 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game this season. He's up to 19 blocks in 25 games played.

Washburn averages 77.7 points per game through 23 games played this season. The Ichabods shoot 46.8 percent as a team. Andrew Orr (13.9), Sam Ungashick (12.8), Jack Bachelor (12.0) lead the team in scoring. Brady Christiansen, who averages 8.5 points per game, leads the team in rebounding at 7.1 boards per game.

Central Oklahoma will play Thursday and Saturday each of the final two weeks of the season after this weekend's matchup with Washburn. The Bronchos travel to Rogers State and Northeastern State next week. Then, Central Oklahoma wraps up the regular season with Northwest Missouri and Newman in Edmond in two weeks.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

#0 Mike Quick Jr.: G; 6' 5"; Sophomore

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

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

#5 Majok Majouk: F; 6' 10"; Sophomore

#21 Matthew Willenborg: F; 6' 7"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

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

#0 Mike Quick Jr.
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: G

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

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

#5 Majok Majouk
: 6' 10"; Sophomore
: F

#21 Matthew Willenborg
: 6' 7"; Freshman
: F