Final is 78-55 for the Bronchos. Great first half with just four turnovers and a 21-point lead, then a sloppy second half but UCO has no trouble rolling to its third straight win. Ashley Beckley finishes with a game-high 22 points.
Bronchos in cruise control now, up 75-50 with less than four minutes left.
Coach Guy Hardaker's not happy and takes his first timeout of the game as the Bronchos turn it over three times in five possessions against USAO pressure. A 12-2 run has the Lady Drovers within 67-44, still a 23-point cushion with 6:58 left.
It's now a 30-point bulge (60-30) with 12:10 left after consecutive layups by Traci Murphree.
UCO still comfortably in front, 51-29 with 14:47 left to play following a Cristina Yarbrough 3-pointer.
No scoring in final two minutes, so Bronchos go to the locker room with a big 42-21 lead. UCO has 14 layups, Ashley Beckley has 14 points and the Bronchos have 10 steals in forcing 21 turnovers.
UCO fast break is working well tonight. Three straight layups, one after a made bucket and two following turnovers up the lead to 42-21 with under two minutes left in the half.
Bronchos have doubled up USAO, leading 36-18 with 4:22 left in opening half after back-to-back treys by Jordan Stark and Traci Murphree.
Ashley Beckley is dominating inside and already has 14 points with the Bronchos up 27-13 with 7:03 left in the opening half. UCO defense continues to stifle the Lady Drovers, who have 13 turnovers.
Broncho defense is overwhelming the Lady Drovers. UCO has six steals and has forced 11 turnovers in leading 21-9 with 10:56 left in the half.
At the 14:25 mark it's a 14-7 UCO lead as the Bronchos have made six layups.
Bronchos trailed 4-2 early, but Rose Anderson had a steal and length-of-court drive to tie it and Cristina Yarbrough followed with another steal and feed to Ashley Beckley for a layup and a 6-4 lead. A USAO miss led to a Yarbrough layup and it's 8-4, UCO, with 16:39 left in the first half.
No radio or live stats for Central Oklahoma's game with USAO tonight in Chickasha, so we'll bring blog updates every 10 minutes or so as the Bronchos take on the Lady Drovers. UCO fell from 12th to 18th in today's new Division II coaches' poll and will be looking to move to 3-1 on the young season.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Looking Back and Ahead
It's officially on to the winter sports scene at UCO now that cross country, football, soccer and volleyball are over.
Soccer was the final fall sport to have its season ended, with the Bronchos going down in the first round of the national tournament last Friday night in San Antonio. The Bronchos gave great effort in that heartbreaking loss to St. Edward's, a game that could have easily gone either way.
Congrats to coach Mike Cook and his team for the way they bounced back after a horrible start to the season. And extra congrats to defensive stud Alli Miller for the post-season awards she continues to rake in. It was a pleasure watching that young lady perform for the Bronchos the last four years.
Now it's time to really get cranking with men's and women's basketball and wrestling.
The men opened their season Monday with an unbelievable 116-114 double-OT win over Emporia State. Both teams put on an amazing 3-point shooting display, one of the best I've seen in 22+ years at UCO, and the Bronchos pulled out a gritty win.
Ranked 17th in the preseason Division II poll, UCO is on the road for its next three games before coming back home Nov. 30 to host USAO. Do yourself a favor and come out to Hamilton Field House to check Terry Evans' team out.
UCO's women lost a tough one in their opener at Pitt State Sunday, falling 70-69 on a last-second three-point play. The 12th-ranked Bronchos have a tough road to hoe this weekend with games against top-10 NAIA powers Oklahoma Baptist and Oklahoma City in the SWOSU Classic in Weatherford.
Coach Guy Hardaker's crew will be challenged mightly by an early-season schedule that will see them play their first 10 games away from home with seven true road games and three neutral-site battles.
UCO's powerhouse wrestling program is off to a solid start, having had seven placers in each of their first two open tournaments while splitting their first two duals. The Bronchos won three individual matches in falling to OU in the opener, then won nine of 10 bouts in routing OCU earlier this week.
Dustin Finn has proven he's one of the top heavyweights in the country. A two-time Division II runner-up for the Bronchos, he knocked off the defending Division I national champion last week and that just doesn't happen very often.
Keep an eye out for 125-pound freshman Casy Rowell as well. He's one intense rookie and is quickly showing that he will be a force to reckon with this year. In fact, Coach David James has a number of young guys in the lineup right now -- five freshman started against OCU -- and that bodes well for the future of UCO's most successful program.
Soccer was the final fall sport to have its season ended, with the Bronchos going down in the first round of the national tournament last Friday night in San Antonio. The Bronchos gave great effort in that heartbreaking loss to St. Edward's, a game that could have easily gone either way.
Congrats to coach Mike Cook and his team for the way they bounced back after a horrible start to the season. And extra congrats to defensive stud Alli Miller for the post-season awards she continues to rake in. It was a pleasure watching that young lady perform for the Bronchos the last four years.
Now it's time to really get cranking with men's and women's basketball and wrestling.
The men opened their season Monday with an unbelievable 116-114 double-OT win over Emporia State. Both teams put on an amazing 3-point shooting display, one of the best I've seen in 22+ years at UCO, and the Bronchos pulled out a gritty win.
Ranked 17th in the preseason Division II poll, UCO is on the road for its next three games before coming back home Nov. 30 to host USAO. Do yourself a favor and come out to Hamilton Field House to check Terry Evans' team out.
UCO's women lost a tough one in their opener at Pitt State Sunday, falling 70-69 on a last-second three-point play. The 12th-ranked Bronchos have a tough road to hoe this weekend with games against top-10 NAIA powers Oklahoma Baptist and Oklahoma City in the SWOSU Classic in Weatherford.
Coach Guy Hardaker's crew will be challenged mightly by an early-season schedule that will see them play their first 10 games away from home with seven true road games and three neutral-site battles.
UCO's powerhouse wrestling program is off to a solid start, having had seven placers in each of their first two open tournaments while splitting their first two duals. The Bronchos won three individual matches in falling to OU in the opener, then won nine of 10 bouts in routing OCU earlier this week.
Dustin Finn has proven he's one of the top heavyweights in the country. A two-time Division II runner-up for the Bronchos, he knocked off the defending Division I national champion last week and that just doesn't happen very often.
Keep an eye out for 125-pound freshman Casy Rowell as well. He's one intense rookie and is quickly showing that he will be a force to reckon with this year. In fact, Coach David James has a number of young guys in the lineup right now -- five freshman started against OCU -- and that bodes well for the future of UCO's most successful program.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Soccer Playoffs
Beth Helm in for the Bronchos and its blocked!
SEU hits and the Hilltoppers win. Great effort by the Bronchos.
Natalie Bernigaud hits one off the keeper and good for 4-3 lead.
SEU ties it.
Summer White scores easily to right side.
Hilltoppers . . . saved by Riley!!!
Shayna Kindsvater takes third shot for the Bronchos . . . and hits high right.
SEU hits and still leads 3-2.
Kelsey Springstead for UCO . . . and she converts to right side.
Hilltoppers answer to lead 2-1.
Katy Kashwer takes first shot for UCO . . . and SEU keeper makes a diving save!
SEU's first shot . . . and it's good.
Each team will get five penalty kicks in the shootout. Bronchos won the Lone Star Conference title over West Texas A&M in a shootout last week and UCO looking to reverse shootout losses in the first round of the national tournament in both 2005 and '06, with the '06 loss to St. Edward's.
27 seconds left and St. Edward's shot from 20 yards looks like it's going in, but bounces off the top post and it's on to a shootout.
1:55 left in second OT and a leaping save for Megan Riley to keep Bronchos in it.
Three minutes left in second OT, both teams appear to be tiring.
Neither team close to scoring midway through second OT, a second straight shootout may be looming for UCO.
Bronchos got off as many shots in 10-minute first OT (three) as they did in 90 minutes of regulation, but it's still nil-nil. These two teams are battling hard, neither one wanting their season to end.
Offense coming to life for the Bronchos. Katy Kasher has a good shot at scoring from 15 yards out but St. Edward's makes the save. UCO offsides with four minutes left in OT.
UCO gets its first corner kick opportunity of the game four minutes into the first OT, but the Bronchos can't get off a good shot. Katy Kashwer follows that with a hard shot that just misses wide.
Overtime. Bronchos got their lone second-half shot with 2:59 left on a Katelyn Cropp effort. St. Edward's has 17-3 lead in shots after regulation.
Five minutes to go, a 17-2 shot lead for St. Edward's and UCO trying to get something going. Bronchos have rarely been past midfield in the second half.
Megan Riley has tied a career high with seven saves and it remains nil-nil with 12 minutes left. St. Edward's owns a 16-2 lead in shots, with UCO yet to get a shot off in the second half.
Twenty-three minutes left to play and it's a 15-2 shot advantage for St. Edward's. Most of second half as been played within 30 yards of UCO goal, but Bronchos continue to hold on.
Still tied at 0-0 through 10 mintues of the second half, though St. Edward's dominated. The Hilltoppers missed three wide-open shots high while keeper Megan Riley had a could of great saves for the Bronchos.
Seeing now how SEU has allowed only six goals all year. UCO still with just two shots on the game to 10 for the Hilltoppers.
Second half about to start. Bronchos need to get offense untracked. UCO did a great job keeping the Hilltoppers at bay in the first 45 minutes.
Scoreless tie at halftime. St. Edward's has a 5-2 lead in shots and took seven corner kicks to none for the Bronchos, with keeper Megan Riley making three saves.
St. Edward's is keeping the Bronchos on their heels, having had four corner kicks and a couple of other scoring opportunities while UCO has yet to get its offense untracked with 14 minutes left in the first half.
No much offense for the Bronchos through the first 20 minutes of the opening half, with good defensive efforts by Alli Miller and Whitney Craft helping thwart a couple of St. Edward's chances.
St. Edward's had a great scoring chance just a minute into the game, but misfired from point-blank range with a shot over the net.
UCO nearly scored seven minutes in when Katelyn Cropp had a free kick from 22 yards out, with SEU's keeper making a nice save. The Hilltoppers broke free seconds after that and UCO keeper Megan Riley made a brilliant save in a one-on-one battle.
It's a beautiful night in San Antonio and UCO is 30 minutes away from taking on St. Edward's in the first round of the NCAA Division II national soccer tournament. Cool with just a hint of a breeze here at Benson Stadium on the campus of Incarnate Word.
It's an arficial turf field, with the UIW using the field for both football and soccer. The Bronchos will play football on this field next September as the school just went through its first year with that sport.
UCO will be without senior midfielder Tiffanie Meek tonight. She's in a walking boot after suffering an ankle injury in practice this week. Coach Mike Cook is hopeful she can play Sunday if the Bronchos can get past St. Edward's.
SEU hits and the Hilltoppers win. Great effort by the Bronchos.
Natalie Bernigaud hits one off the keeper and good for 4-3 lead.
SEU ties it.
Summer White scores easily to right side.
Hilltoppers . . . saved by Riley!!!
Shayna Kindsvater takes third shot for the Bronchos . . . and hits high right.
SEU hits and still leads 3-2.
Kelsey Springstead for UCO . . . and she converts to right side.
Hilltoppers answer to lead 2-1.
Katy Kashwer takes first shot for UCO . . . and SEU keeper makes a diving save!
SEU's first shot . . . and it's good.
Each team will get five penalty kicks in the shootout. Bronchos won the Lone Star Conference title over West Texas A&M in a shootout last week and UCO looking to reverse shootout losses in the first round of the national tournament in both 2005 and '06, with the '06 loss to St. Edward's.
27 seconds left and St. Edward's shot from 20 yards looks like it's going in, but bounces off the top post and it's on to a shootout.
1:55 left in second OT and a leaping save for Megan Riley to keep Bronchos in it.
Three minutes left in second OT, both teams appear to be tiring.
Neither team close to scoring midway through second OT, a second straight shootout may be looming for UCO.
Bronchos got off as many shots in 10-minute first OT (three) as they did in 90 minutes of regulation, but it's still nil-nil. These two teams are battling hard, neither one wanting their season to end.
Offense coming to life for the Bronchos. Katy Kasher has a good shot at scoring from 15 yards out but St. Edward's makes the save. UCO offsides with four minutes left in OT.
UCO gets its first corner kick opportunity of the game four minutes into the first OT, but the Bronchos can't get off a good shot. Katy Kashwer follows that with a hard shot that just misses wide.
Overtime. Bronchos got their lone second-half shot with 2:59 left on a Katelyn Cropp effort. St. Edward's has 17-3 lead in shots after regulation.
Five minutes to go, a 17-2 shot lead for St. Edward's and UCO trying to get something going. Bronchos have rarely been past midfield in the second half.
Megan Riley has tied a career high with seven saves and it remains nil-nil with 12 minutes left. St. Edward's owns a 16-2 lead in shots, with UCO yet to get a shot off in the second half.
Twenty-three minutes left to play and it's a 15-2 shot advantage for St. Edward's. Most of second half as been played within 30 yards of UCO goal, but Bronchos continue to hold on.
Still tied at 0-0 through 10 mintues of the second half, though St. Edward's dominated. The Hilltoppers missed three wide-open shots high while keeper Megan Riley had a could of great saves for the Bronchos.
Seeing now how SEU has allowed only six goals all year. UCO still with just two shots on the game to 10 for the Hilltoppers.
Second half about to start. Bronchos need to get offense untracked. UCO did a great job keeping the Hilltoppers at bay in the first 45 minutes.
Scoreless tie at halftime. St. Edward's has a 5-2 lead in shots and took seven corner kicks to none for the Bronchos, with keeper Megan Riley making three saves.
St. Edward's is keeping the Bronchos on their heels, having had four corner kicks and a couple of other scoring opportunities while UCO has yet to get its offense untracked with 14 minutes left in the first half.
No much offense for the Bronchos through the first 20 minutes of the opening half, with good defensive efforts by Alli Miller and Whitney Craft helping thwart a couple of St. Edward's chances.
St. Edward's had a great scoring chance just a minute into the game, but misfired from point-blank range with a shot over the net.
UCO nearly scored seven minutes in when Katelyn Cropp had a free kick from 22 yards out, with SEU's keeper making a nice save. The Hilltoppers broke free seconds after that and UCO keeper Megan Riley made a brilliant save in a one-on-one battle.
It's a beautiful night in San Antonio and UCO is 30 minutes away from taking on St. Edward's in the first round of the NCAA Division II national soccer tournament. Cool with just a hint of a breeze here at Benson Stadium on the campus of Incarnate Word.
It's an arficial turf field, with the UIW using the field for both football and soccer. The Bronchos will play football on this field next September as the school just went through its first year with that sport.
UCO will be without senior midfielder Tiffanie Meek tonight. She's in a walking boot after suffering an ankle injury in practice this week. Coach Mike Cook is hopeful she can play Sunday if the Bronchos can get past St. Edward's.
Soccer Updates
Here in sunny San Antonio awaiting Central Oklahoma's game with St. Edward's in the first round of the South Central Regional in the NCAA Division II Soccer Championship. Game time is 7 p.m. at Incarnate Word, the regional host who will take on tonight's winner at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The UCO team came in Wednesday, practiced Thursday and went through another light workout this morning. I came via air early this afternoon and will ride the bus back with the team, hopefully arriving late Sunday night!
I'll post updates throughout tonight's game, so make sure to check back frequently as the Bronchos begin their quest for a national championship.
The UCO team came in Wednesday, practiced Thursday and went through another light workout this morning. I came via air early this afternoon and will ride the bus back with the team, hopefully arriving late Sunday night!
I'll post updates throughout tonight's game, so make sure to check back frequently as the Bronchos begin their quest for a national championship.
Friday, November 6, 2009
UCO Is Awesome
UCO is awesome. Why, you ask? Because, that’s why. I feel like you’re asking too many questions. Just accept how awesome UCO is and this whole process will be a lot easier.
Here we are, located in a central location (hence the name of our extraordinarily awesome university), with a small school vibe and big school tradition. Have you been to Hamilton Field House and seen the ridiculous number of national championship banners? If so, you are a part of what makes UCO so awesome. If not, you are probably lacking in the awesomeness category and should step up your game.
With men’s and women’s basketball (both ranked nationally and preparing to defend LSC North titles) and wrestling right around the corner (ranked sixth in the country) it probably would be a good idea for you to get your pretty little self over to our beautiful UCO campus to take in some heart-pounding collegiate competition.
I know what you’re thinking, “How do I know if I am worthy of this awesome Broncho tradition you speak of?” Well, fear not, our crack team of scientists in the UCO athletic department has devised a quiz consisting of one question to gauge your worthiness. Answer honestly; we'll know if you're lying.
Question #1 (only question, so get it right)
Please choose the best answer to the following question.
The ideal evening for me is _________
a. Sitting alone eating a stale Hungry Man dinner and wondering why I don’t have any friends
b. Watching the newest episode of Tabitha’s Salon Takeover and wondering why I don’t have any friends
c. Listening to old, depressing records by The Cure and habitually checking my facebook account and wondering why I don’t have any friends.
d. Taking a pleasant stroll by Broncho lake in the crisp autumn air on my way to witness a UCO victory and wondering how I got so many friends.
FYI, the correct answer is D…. Come to a game and let’s be friends.
Brandon Birdwell
Director of Sales, Marketing and Annual Gift
Here we are, located in a central location (hence the name of our extraordinarily awesome university), with a small school vibe and big school tradition. Have you been to Hamilton Field House and seen the ridiculous number of national championship banners? If so, you are a part of what makes UCO so awesome. If not, you are probably lacking in the awesomeness category and should step up your game.
With men’s and women’s basketball (both ranked nationally and preparing to defend LSC North titles) and wrestling right around the corner (ranked sixth in the country) it probably would be a good idea for you to get your pretty little self over to our beautiful UCO campus to take in some heart-pounding collegiate competition.
I know what you’re thinking, “How do I know if I am worthy of this awesome Broncho tradition you speak of?” Well, fear not, our crack team of scientists in the UCO athletic department has devised a quiz consisting of one question to gauge your worthiness. Answer honestly; we'll know if you're lying.
Question #1 (only question, so get it right)
Please choose the best answer to the following question.
The ideal evening for me is _________
a. Sitting alone eating a stale Hungry Man dinner and wondering why I don’t have any friends
b. Watching the newest episode of Tabitha’s Salon Takeover and wondering why I don’t have any friends
c. Listening to old, depressing records by The Cure and habitually checking my facebook account and wondering why I don’t have any friends.
d. Taking a pleasant stroll by Broncho lake in the crisp autumn air on my way to witness a UCO victory and wondering how I got so many friends.
FYI, the correct answer is D…. Come to a game and let’s be friends.
Brandon Birdwell
Director of Sales, Marketing and Annual Gift
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