EDMOND (Nov. 2) – Atrocious shooting and a big rebounding deficit led to a lopsided exhibition game loss for Central Oklahoma Tuesday night at Hamilton Field House as the Bronchos fell to long-time NAIA powerhouse Southern Nazarene 68-53.
UCO shot a mere 29.5 percent (18-of-61) from the field, hitting only 2-of-22 (9.1 percent) tries from 3-point range. That inaccuracy and SNU’s 45-30 advantage on the boards was more than enough to turn an early lead into a big loss.
“I knew we would probably have some tough moments with as young as we are, but I didn’t expect us to play like that,” said UCO coach Guy Hardaker, who has five freshmen on the 10-player roster. “We got it handed to us pretty good. But it was a good learning experience and we’ll just go back to work and keep getting better.”
The Bronchos bolted to a 9-0 lead four minutes into the game, getting the lone 3-pointer of the first half and a layup from rookie point guard Britney Morgan. UCO then went stone cold, missing 13 of its next 14 shots as the Crimson Storm went on an 18-4 run to take an 18-13 lead.
Alyssa Fuxa scored five straight points to pull the Bronchos even at 18-all with 5:02 left in the half before SNU closed with a 13-5 spurt to seize a 31-23 advantage at intermission.
UCO missed its first four shots of the second half in falling behind 39-23, but battled back to within nine at 56-47 with 6:12 left to play on two Ashley Beckley free throws. The Crimson Storm scored five quick points to regain a double-digit lead at 61-47 and coasted in from there.
Beckley, UCO’s lone senior and the Lone Star Conference North Division Preseason Player of the Year, hit 10-of-12 free throws in scoring a game-high 22 points while adding five rebounds and three steals. Fuxa finished with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
The Bronchos end their brief two-game exhibition schedule Sunday afternoon at Wichita State and then open the 2010-11 for real Nov. 19-20 at the Texas Woman’s Classic.
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