by Chris Brannick
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Central Oklahoma was overtaken with foul trouble Thursday night in an 83-75 setback at Pittsburg State.
The Bronchos drop to 7-11 overall with the loss and are now 4-10 in the MIAA.
“We were right there until the fouls got out of control and we were just giving them points at that point,” UCO head women’s coach Emma Andrews said. “We were down at halftime and the girls did a great job of fighting back but we gave up too much in the end.”
Central Oklahoma erased a nine-point halftime deficit but after tying the game late in the third quarter, gave up a late rally and never fully recovered. The Bronchos saw a 28-12 disadvantage in the foul count and the result was 25 made free-throws for Pittsburg State.
A pair of career-high performances helped the Bronchos. Aliyah Llanusa scored 24 points and Aspen Williston 22 in the game. Llanusa added eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Williston, who went 10-for-12 from the floor, also had two rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Karly Wadsworth and Lexi Foreman both added nine points.
Central Oklahoma shot 41.7 percent from the floor, 26.1 percent from behind the 3-point line, and 90 percent (9-for-10) from the free-throw line.
UCO used a late run in the opening quarter to take an early lead. The Bronchos scored first but were quickly down 6-2 early in the game. PSU led until Alayzha Knapp knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Central Oklahoma a 15-14 lead. The Bronchos closed the quarter on a 10-4 run and took an 18-16 to the first break.
UCO went in front 23-21 when Brooke Rayner floated in a driving layup with just over five minutes left in the second quarter. Unfortunately, Pittsburg State responded with a 10-0 run from there. The Bronchos went 3-for-19 from the floor in the second quarter and trailed 36-27 at halftime.
Central fought back in the second half, cutting the nine-point halftime deficit to four points on two different occasions before the media timeout. UCO forced three consecutive turnovers and the 6-0 run made it 39-35. The Bronchos also got a 7-2 run to make it 46-42.
An and-1 layup from Llanusa cut it to three points 48-45, and then the fourth-year junior guard cut it to two points, 50-48, with just under three minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Bronchos then tied the game, 52-52, but an 8-0 run from Pitt State – all on free-throws – to end the quarter put UCO back in a deficit heading to the final frame. PSU went 14-for-16 from the free-throw line in the third quarter.
