Skip To Main Content

University of Central Oklahoma Athletics

The Official Site of Central Oklahoma University Athletics Central Oklahoma Athletics
Josh Nwankwo
75
Central Okla. CentOK 16-15,9-10 Mid-America Intercollegiate
82
Winner Northeastern St. NE 13-15,6-13 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Central Okla. CentOK
16-15,9-10 Mid-America Intercollegiate
75
Final
82
Northeastern St. NE
13-15,6-13 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Central Okla. CentOK 28 47 75
Northeastern St. NE 36 46 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Chris Brannick

Central Loses Finale, Will Face Pitt State In Kansas City

Bronchos Drop NSU Game, Earn No. 9 Seed For MIAA Basketball Championship

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Central Oklahoma came up short in the regular season finale Saturday at Northeastern State, where the Bronchos lost 82-75.
 
UCO finished the regular season 16-15 overall with a 9-10 record in the MIAA. The Bronchos landed in a tie with Pittsburg State for eighth place in the final standings and will meet the Gorillas Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the first round of the MIAA Basketball Championships at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
 
Central Oklahoma fell behind early at Northeastern on Saturday and never recovered. The Bronchos had a 13-11 lead when NSU moved in front and never surrenedered its lead for the rest of the game.
 
UCO shot 44.4 percent from the floor, making 28 fo 63 shots. The Bronchos were just 4-for-17 from behind the 3-point line and 15-for-22 at the free-throw line.
 
Josh Nwankwo led the way with 25 points. The senior guard added four steals, three rebounds, and three assists. He made 10 of 22 shots and 5 of 9 free-throws.
 
Matthew Willenborg added 15 points, four rebounds, and two blocked shots. He went 6-for-15 from the floor with one 3-pointer and a 2-for-3 mark at the line.
 
Parker Hannah also scored in double figures with 12 points on 4 of 12 shooting, including knocking down a pair of 3-pointers. Brady Hancuff scored nine points and had a team-high nine rebounds. Marcus Zeigler Jr. added nine points, Trey Tuck scored three, and Jack Robinson finished with two points.
 
Willenborg's 3-pointer was the first basket of the game and UCO led 13-9 when he made a layup with 14:01 remaining in the opening half. The game was tied 15-15 when Willenborg scored again with 11:27 left, but a 9-2 NSU run followed and the Bronchos began playing from behind.
 
Central Oklahoma trailed 36-28 at halftime.
 
The Bronchos cut it to two points on two occasions midway through the second half. Willenborg made it 54-52 and Nwankwo made it 56-54, but NSU had another rally to pull away. The Bronchos got within four points on a few different occasions down the stretch but couldn't get any closer.
 
Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State met twice this season, with the home team winning each game. The Bronchos won 69-59 in Edmond in January after Pitt won 77-63 in Kansas in December.
 
UCO was the No. 8 seed last season in the conference tournament and rallied with three wins in three days, including a win over Pitt in the semifinals, to make an appearance in the championship game. The Bronchos lost 72-71 to Fort Hays State.
 
Central and Pitt have only met in the postseason twice, with the Gorillas knocking UCO out of the MIAA Basketball Championship quarterfinals in 2024 before the Broncho win in last year's semifinals.
Print Friendly Version
Skip Ad
Skip Sponsors