UCO comeback falls short vs Central Missouri
Rudolph BarnesThe University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos lost to the Central Missouri Jennies 79-76 Thursday night in Warrensburg.
Both teams didn’t shoot great from the field with a combined average of 41% for the game. The game was decided by free throws. The Jennies went to the free line 36 times and made 32, this was the most made free throws in a game since Nov. 29, 2003 against the East Central Tigers. The Bronchos also went to the free throw line 30 times and made 24.
The Bronchos senior forward Kelsey Johnson led the team in scoring with 24 points, along with 12 rebounds. This was her 12th double-double of the season. Central Missouri’s Nija Collier led her team with 21 points and seven rebounds.
“We didn’t play good in the first quarter,” Bronchos head coach Guy Hardaker said. “When we started to make shots we played pretty well.”
The Bronchos shot just 24% in the hirst half while the Jennies shot 44% to give them a 34-19 lead at halftime. The Bronchos trailed by as many as 19 points during the first half of the game.
The second half saw both teams improve with their offensive output. The Bronchos were able to make the shots that weren’t going in during the first half of the game. The Jennies were able to go to the free throw line 28 times in the second half.
The game came down to the final possession for the Bronchos as Jaci Littell missed a layup with defenders in her face, and the Bronchos couldn’t secure the rebound as the clock expired.
The Bronchos play their last game of the regular season 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Missouri Southern.