UCO Men’s Basketball Fall 0-3 in Tournament Opener
Craig HarrisThe University of Central Oklahoma Men’s basketball team opened the 2026-27 season over Halloween weekend with three straight losses in the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Tipoff Classic in Wisconsin.
A poor shooting performance from the Bronchos allowed Northern Michigan University to secure a 20-point victory in the opening game on Friday. UCO finished the first half shooting just 27.2 percent from the field, but improved to 37.0 percent by the end of the contest.
Despite shooting 2-for-11 from beyond the arc, Central Oklahoma converted 26 of 30 free-throw attempts, an 86.7 percent rate, accounting for nearly half of their total points.
Senior forward Donovan Lovelace led the team with 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting while converting 8 of his 9 free-throw attempts, but was only able to grab one rebound as he committed four fouls in his 21 minutes of play.
Junior forward Pavel Ivanov added 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field, including a perfect 4-for-4 in his free-throw attempts.
Following the 62-82 loss to NMU, the Bronchos fell to West Texas A&M on Halloween night, 70-81 in a more competitive game.
Central Oklahoma jumped out to a 7-0 lead early, but West Texas fought back, increasing the lead to 39-32 at the half. The Bronchos tied the game at 55 all in the second half, but WT went on a run that UCO couldn’t recover from.
Lovelace followed Friday’s team-leading performance with another team-high 28 points in 33 minutes of play. He shot 10-for-17 from the field and was 3-for-7 from the 3-point line while making 5 of his 6 free throw attempts. Lovelace also added 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and two blocks. Forward Jacobi Sebock added 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in his 39 minutes of play.
The Bronchos suffered their 3rd and final loss at the hands of Harding on Sunday evening in their closest contest.
In the final five seconds of the game, UCO had two chances to make the go-ahead basket but missed both. Sebock, who led the team with 24 points on 50% shooting, scored the team’s final 6 points, but was unable to convert on a layup attempt with two seconds left. Lovelace, who added 20 points, then missed the go-ahead jump shot at the final buzzer.
Junior Guard Jack Robinson contributed with 4 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Central Oklahoma will continue their season in their home opener against Texas A&M-Texarkana next Monday at Hamilton Field House.