EDMOND, Okla. - Missouri Western men's basketball (15-9, 6-7 MIAA) struggled offensively in the 90-62 loss to the Central Oklahoma Bronchos (14-9, 8-6 MIAA) on Saturday afternoon inside Hamilton Field House.
The opening 10 minutes of the MIAA Game of the Week featured an exciting back-and-forth battle, with three lead changes and one tie. However, UCO established its rhythm after taking the lead with 12:35 remaining in the first half. This sparked a 14-3 run, as UCO built its advantage to as much as 10 points.
Down the stretch, the Griffons cut the deficit two twice with makes from seniors
Zane Nelson (3:02) and
Ethan Kilgore (2:17), but the Bronchos responded with a 6-2 run in the final two minutes to take a 42-36 lead into the intermission.
Western shot 12-for-24 (50%) from the field but struggled with their three-point shooting in the first half. Senior
Zion Swader led both teams with 12 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
The Bronchos shot out of a cannon out of the locker, outscoring the Griffons 12-2 in the opening five minutes to increase their lead to 54-38. Led by Jacobi Sebock's 11 points in the half, they would by their lead to as many as 34 points to secure the 92-60 win.
Missouri Western had a challenging shooting performance, finishing 18-for-48 (38%), and they only made 2-of-18 (11%) attempts from three-point range. In contrast, Central Oklahoma shot 31-for-62 (50%) and successfully connected on 9-of-23 (39%) from behind the arc.
Swader finished with a season-high 19 points on 5-of-8 shootings. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native added six assists, six rebounds and a steal in 38 minutes of play. Kilgore added a team-leading nine rebounds to complement his nine points.
The Griffons will return to the MWSU Fieldhouse next Thursday against the Pitt State Gorillas at 7:30 p.m. for Student-Athlete Academic Recognition & Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen).
