Game Statistics
WEATHERFORD, Okla. (Nov. 21) -- When it counted, Central Oklahoma delivered.
Eleven days after giving up 98 points and suffering a 24-point exhibition loss to Oklahoma City, the No. 12-ranked Bronchos used a suffocating defensive effort to subdue the NAIA No. 8-rated Stars 56-53 here Saturday afternoon on the final day of the Southwestern Oklahoma Classic.
OCU shot nearly 58 percent in its 98-74 rout on Nov. 11, but UCO limited the Stars to 37.9-percent shooting (22-of-58) and built a 13-point second-half lead before staving off the Stars down the stretch.
The Bronchos scored just two points after taking a 54-44 lead with 4:35 left to play and held on when OCU missed a tying 3-point try with 2.2 seconds remaining.
UCO, which improved to 2-1 on the young season, returns to action next Tuesday with a 7 p.m. contest at Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
“OCU just took it to us at their place and we made some defensive adjustments that made a difference,” UCO coach Guy Hardaker said. “The girls played really hard and we managed to get out of here with another good win.”
Jordan Stark led the Bronchos, hitting four 3-pointers in scoring a game-high 19 points while adding six rebounds. Ashley Beckley had 10 points and six boards and Rose Anderson chipped in nine points.
Anderson scored five points in a 14-3 run early in the second half that turned a 33-31 lead into a 47-34 bulge with 9:34 left to play before the Stars came back with six unanswered points to get back in the contest at 47-40.
It was a nine-point lead (51-42) after Cristina Yarbrough's driving layup with 5:25 remaining and Stark converted a three-point play at 4:35 to make it 54-44, but the Bronchos missed two shots and had three turnovers as OCU went on a 7-0 run to pull within 54-51.
Beckley canned a pair of free throws to end UCO's drought at the 1:20 mark and push the lead to 56-51, then OCU cut it to 56-53 on a Laura Duncan layup with 24.8 seconds left.
UCO missed the front end of a one-and-one at 13.8 to give the Stars a chance at forcing overtime, but Lauren Gober's hurried 22-foot try with 2.2 seconds to play was off the mark and the Bronchos had survived.
UCO trailed 8-5 four minutes into the contest and then went on a 12-3 run to surge in front 17-11 with 11:58 left in the half. Stark keyed that spurt with eight straight points, hitting a short turnaround jumper and back-to-back 3-pointers.
It was still a six-point lead at 20-14 after a Courtney Allen trey from the wing at the 9:04 mark and a five-point advantage (22-17) at 8:08 following a Traci Murphree layup, but the Bronchos missed six of their next seven shots and turned the ball over five times in falling behind 26-24 with 2:49 remaining.
UCO got two free throws from Savannah Hamilton and the third 3-pointer of the half from Stark the rest of way in grabbing its 29-28 halftime lead.
