Men’s Basketball Opens season 1-2

The University of Central Oklahoma men’s basketball team kicked off its 2025-26 season by going 1-2 this past weekend at the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CAA) Canadian Tipoff Classic in Langley, British Columbia. 

The Bronchos started off the tournament with a 75 to 60 victory on Friday night against Simon Fraser University. UCO would then close out their road trip with consecutive losses on Saturday and Sunday, against Central Washington University and Western Washington University, respectively. 

The Bronchos earned their first win of the season in their season opener against the Simon Fraser Red Leafs on Friday night. UCO would close out the first half on the high side, leading Simon Fraser 32 to 18. Their offensive output would only improve in the second half as they closed out their first contest with 43 points. Although the Red Leafs would answer with 42 second-half points of their own, their efforts to erase UCO’s lead would prove unsuccessful.

 UCO finished the game up 75 to 60, with nine Bronchos breaking into the scoring chart. Josh Nwankwo, a senior transfer from Central Missouri who played high school basketball at Putnam City North in Oklahoma City, led the way offensively for UCO. The 6’6” forward scored 28 points on 11 of 17 shooting, while also making 6 out of his 9 attempted free throws. Nwakwo affected the game in other ways as well by recording 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. 

Defensively, junior Matthew Willenborg led the team with 5 blocked shots in the season opener. Willenborg, a 6’7” forward who led the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) in blocked shots last year, also turned in 12 points for the Bronchos on 6 of 11 shooting. He recorded 4 rebounds for the game as well. Marcus Zeigler Jr. was another contributor for UCO, as the junior guard added 10 points on 4 of 9 shooting along with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. 

UCO dropped its second game of the D2CAA Canadian Tipoff on Saturday, losing 65 to 75 against the Central Washington Wildcats. The Bronchos struggled with offensive efficiency throughout the majority of the game against the Wildcats, as they finished with a 44% field goal percentage as well as a 40% three-point percentage. Their struggles with free-throw shooting would amount to 9 made free throws out of 20 attempts. 

Shooting woes aside, the Bronchos managed to find a way to lead by as many as two points throughout the first half and early in the second. At halftime, UCO and Central Washington were tied at 29 points apiece. The Bronchos would find themselves up 35 to 34 early in the second half, but Central Washington quickly reclaimed the lead and wouldn’t look back for the rest of the game. The Wildcats led for almost 27 minutes of the entire 40-minute contest. They maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half, with their highest lead having only been 13 points towards the end of the game. 

Despite his team’s loss, Nwankwo turned in another double-digit performance. His team-high 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting were highlighted by 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Nwankwo also added 2 three-pointers, shooting a highly efficient 2 for 2 during the contest. Senior forward Jacobi Sebock, a Midwest City native who started every game for the Bronchos last season, bounced back from his 8-point performance on Friday with 18 points on 8 of 16 shooting. Nwankwo and Sebock were the only players to break double digits for the Bronchos against Central Washington. 

The Bronchos closed out the season-opening festival with a 63 to 69 loss against the Western Washington Vikings on Sunday afternoon. UCO’s shooting slump carried on from Saturday’s game as they finished with a 35.9% field goal percentage, as well as a 27.3% three-point percentage. At one point in the first half, they trailed by 11 points, but the Bronchos fought to keep within striking distance going into halftime. UCO found themselves down 30 to 35 at halftime, and as the second half started, they made one final push for a comeback victory. 

Back-to-back three pointers by Parker Hannah gave UCO a 57 to 51 lead with nearly eight minutes left in the second half. UCO and Western Washington went back and forth for the rest of the contest, and with two minutes and twenty-one seconds left, the Bronchos led 63 to 61. 

However, the Vikings regained the lead with eight straight points to close out the game, while holding the Bronchos scoreless. Sebock set the pace for the Bronchos offensively with his second 18-point performance of the weekend while also picking up 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Nwankwo followed closely behind with 17 points of his own, closing out his first tournament with the Bronchos, where he managed to break double digits in all three contests. Willenborg added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Central Oklahoma will get an opportunity to bounce back from its 1-2 start to the 2025-26 season as they travel to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, next weekend for the Central Region Challenge. They play on November 14th and 15th, facing Minnesota Crookston and Arkansas-Monticello. The Bronchos will then get set to play their home opener on the 19th, hosting the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Bulldogs.