Men's Basketball 2/28/2024 10:00:00 AM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Host No. 6 Bearcats Thursday At Hamilton

Central Oklahoma Wraps Up The Regular Season With Two Home Games This Week

EDMOND – Central Oklahoma enters the final week of the 2023-24 regular season with two home games at Hamilton Field House.

Central Oklahoma (19-9, 11-9 MIAA) hosts No. 6 Northwest Missouri (22-4, 18-2) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night. The Bronchos also welcome Newman (7-18, 4-16) on Saturday afternoon.

"It's going to be a big game and it's going to be a big challenge for us," fifth-year head men's coach Bob Hoffman said. "We have been fortunate to beat them in our gym the last couple of years, which is hard to do, but now we have got to execute at the highest level if we want to get another win against them."

Central Oklahoma is currently tied for sixth place in the MIAA standings with Missouri Southern and Emporia State. The Bronchos do own that tiebreaker. UCO can finish no higher than sixth in the standings, but the Bronchos need at least a split this week to maintain that position. MSSU plays Washburn (Wednesday) and Northwest Missouri (Saturday), while Emporia finishes with Pittsburg State (Wednesday) and Washburn (Saturday).

UCO and Northwest Missouri played Jan. 18 in Maryville, Missouri, with the Bronchos falling 71-56. The 14-point deficit is not only the largest of the season for UCO, but the only double-digit setback of the season.

Central beat Northwest in Edmond in January 2022, snapping a 10-game slide against the Bearcats. The Bronchos won again in January 2023 in Edmond, but Northwest has won three in a row since, twice in Maryville and last season's MIAA Championship game in Kansas City. Northwest owns a 19-5 all-time record in the series.

Central Oklahoma is coming off a split last weekend on the road, with the Bronchos falling in double overtime at Rogers State before picking up a win at Northeastern State. UCO is averaging 77.1 points per game this season and shooting 45.7 percent from the floor.

The Bronchos shoot 35.0 percent from behind the 3-point line with an average of 7.4 made threes per game. UCO also shoots 75.2 percent from the free-throw line with an average of 16.3 makes per game from the stripe.

Defensively, Central is allowing 66.8 points per game with opponents shooting 43.0 percent against the Bronchos. Teams are hitting 30.9 percent of 3-point attempts against the Bronchos with an average of 6.3 makes per game, and opponents shoot 74.6 percent from the free-throw line with an average of 13.8 makes per game.

Jaden Wells continues to lead Central Oklahoma this season. The fourth-year guard is averaging an MIAA-high 20.9 points per game this season. Wells leads UCO in virtually every offensive category. He shoots 40.7 percent from the floor overall and 36.0 percent from behind the arc. Wells has 77 made 3-pointers this season, which also leads the MIAA. Wells leads the league in scoring, 3-pointers made, free-throws made, and steals.

Wells is also up to 1,800 points for his career. He ranks fourth on UCO's all-time scoring list and is 50 points shy of third place.

Danquez Dawsey, who leads the MIAA in assists, averages 13.4 points per game, 5.1 assists per game, and 3.8 rebounds per game this season. The junior guard also averages 1.3 steals per game. Dawsey is shooting 42.5 percent from the floor this season and 39.5 percent from behind the 3-point line. He has 34 made threes in 28 games played. Dawsey is also an 81.8 percent free-throw shooter, going 90-for-110 on the season.

Luke Haasl is Central's third leading scorer at 8.9 points per game. The junior big man is leading the team with 5.5 rebounds per game and 1.5 blocks per game. Haasl shoots 62.7 percent from the floor with 104 shots made on the season. He has compiled 42 blocks in each of his first two years with the Bronchos, which are both the 10th best seasons in school history.

Mike Quick Jr., who has missed three games in the last month with an injury, is averaging 8.8 points per game off the bench. The sophomore guard shoots 46.7 percent from the floor, 42.6 percent from behind the 3-point line, and has got to the line 83 times this season, where he's a 67.5 percent shooter.

Jalyn Turner, who will be honored before Saturday's game during Senior Day, has had his best season yet with the Bronchos in this his fifth year. The Houston, Texas native is averaging 6.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Turner has been a key figure on defense and in the lineup in general. He's spent all five years with Hoffman and has played in 143 of 144 games since arriving on campus in 2019.

Majok Majouk adds 5.2 points per game this season, and Matthew Willenborg chips in 4.3 points per game. The duo is also averaging a combined 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

Northwest Missouri comes to Edmond riding an 11-game win streak. The Bearcats wrapped up their 11th straight MIAA title last week. Northwest averages 73.6 points per game and is led by a trio of scorers averaging double figures. Wes Dreamer leads the way at 18.4 points per game, Bennett Stirtz averages 15.1 points per game, and Mitch Mascari averages 10.2 points per game.

Central Oklahoma dropped its first game against Northwest last month. The Bronchos look for the season split Thursday night. UCO beat Newman in its first matchup last month in Wichita, Kansas and is looking for the season sweep Saturday afternoon.

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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