Women’s Basketball Drop Pair of Home Games

The University of Central Oklahoma women’s basketball team fell short to Missouri Southern in double overtime on Wednesday evening before losing to No. 16 Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon.

Central Oklahoma is now 7-10 overall and 2-6 in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) play following its two losses.

The first of their home games began on Wednesday, when the Bronchos hosted Missouri Southern, ultimately losing the double overtime thriller 85-81 at Hamilton Field House.

UCO trailed 37-35 going into the half, but fell behind further, as Missouri Southern outscored the Bronchos 19-11 in the third.

The fourth quarter began with UCO trailing 56-46 to the Lions. Central Oklahoma went on a 14-1 run to start the fourth quarter, with freshman guard Nykaiya Dillard getting the layup and the foul, to put the Bronchos up 60-57 with 3:20 remaining on the clock. 

Southern didn’t fall further behind, ultimately tying the game 65-65 with 27 seconds remaining.

Dillard took the final shot, but was blocked on her shot attempt, sending both teams into overtime. 

During the first overtime, each team scored six free throws apiece and only one field goal, finishing the extra period tied 73-73 to put both teams into double overtime. 

Missouri Southern never trailed in the second overtime, scoring first with a 2-point jumper. Even though UCO responded with a layup by Dillard, Southern made a 3-pointer to take the 78-75 lead with 3:38 remaining. UCO had a chance to tie the game, down 84-81 in the final moments, but couldn’t get the shot to fall, ultimately sealing the win for the Lions. 

Sophomore forward Jerney Bennett led the offense for the Bronchos, finishing with a career-high 27 points on 11 of 15 shooting. Bennett also led the team in rebounds with 12 and blocks, adding nine to go along with her stellar performance.

UCO then hosted No. 16 Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon but couldn’t keep up with the Gorillas’ 51.9 percent 3-point shooting, resulting in an 84-56 loss.

Central trailed the entire game. The Bronchos were down by eight to end the first, and fell even further behind as the Gorillas dominated on the offensive end, finishing the first half with a 45-24 lead.

Pitt State remained hot, outscoring Central 25-17 in the third, building their lead to 70-41, heading into the final quarter. 

Although the Bronchos did outscore Pitt State 15-14 in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t nearly enough, as the Gorillas finished their historic game with a season-high 14 made 3-pointers.

Sophomore guard Kaitlyn McCarn led UCO,  finishing the game with 11 points and six rebounds.

UCO will hit the road this week, as they visit Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before traveling to Fort Hays State on Saturday to face off against the Tigers, with tipoff set to begin at 2 p.m.