CANYON, Texas – Micha Hester and Karlie Free may not have ever hit bigger shots in their lifetime as Hester drained a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds on the clock to force overtime and Free dropped in the game-winning basket with two seconds remaining in the extra session to send third-seeded Central Oklahoma past No. 6-seed St. Mary’s, 75-73 at the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Friday afternoon.
Trailing 61-58 with one possession remaining in regulation, Hester launched a desperation 3-point field goal from well beyond the arc that found nothing but net, tying the score and sending the game into overtime. UCO trailed by as many as four in the extra session, but four straight points from Mallory Markus, a Kasey Tweed layup and a clutch 3-point field goal by Cassidy Pillow set up Free’s late game heroics as the senior calmly drained an eight-foot jumper from the baseline with two seconds remaining for the eventual game-winner.
Lizzie Brenner notched a team-high 17 points and a game-best 18 rebounds while Markus added 11, Tweed came off the bench to contribute 11 with Pillow chipping in nine, Free eight and Hester six points in the dramatic victory.
UCO, making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II national tournament, improves to 24-7 on the season and advances into tommorrow’s 6 p.m. semifinals where they will face the winner between No. 2-seed Washburn and seventh-seeded Angelo State.
“This was probably one of the most exciting games I have ever been a part of,” said UCO head coach Guy Hardaker. “I couldn’t be happier for this team because they played a great game against a very talented team and we’re able to come away with a well-deserved victory. We’ll take our time to enjoy this win, but we still have another very important game to prepare for tomorrow night.”
UCO began the contest on a blistering streak, receiving a running jumper from Cristina Yarbrough, a steal and layup by Markus and a pair of Cassidy Pillow free throw makes to race out to a 7-0 lead before St. Mary’s staged a 10-0 scoring spurt of its own to take a three-point lead at the 14:40 mark.
A Markus layup followed by four free throw conversions between Brenner and Pillow kept it a one possession deficit, but the Rattlers scored five straight points, opening the gap to a six-point lead, 19-13.
The Rattlers led by as much as eight with under 10 minutes left before Free’s jumper ignited a 9-2 UCO scoring run that saw Brenner make two free throws, Markus drain a 3-point field goal and Kasey Tweed sink a pair of free throws to regain the advantage, 28-27 at the 5:14 mark. However, St. Mary’s rallied off a scorching 11-0 scoring run to lead by double-digits, 38-28 with 1:47 remaining.
The deficit did not deter the Bronchos as they ended the half on a torrid 9-2 scoring streak that saw Brenner, Tweed and Taylor Allen all contribute points as the opening period ended with UCO trailing by three, 40-37 despite shooting a tepid 32 percent (10-of-31) and committing 12 turnovers.
Scoring was at a premium at the onset of the final period as the two teams combined to score 11 points through the first 8:30 of the half with the score tied at 45 after Brenner converted two free throws. UCO regained the lead after Brenner nailed a 3-pointer and Hester contributed three points on a free throw and layup to hold a 51-47 advantage with 8:41 showing on the clock.
St. Mary’s trimmed the lead to one-point before a Markus layup followed by a pair of Pillow free throw conversions pushed the Broncho advantage to 55-52 at 5:12 but the Rattlers later tied the contest at 56-56 after a 4-1 scoring advantage and then took a three-point lead after Juanita Merchant sank a 3-point field goal from the corner with 27 seconds remaining on the clock.
Down 59-56, Free converted a layup at the 12 second mark to trim the lead to one before UCO sent Natalie Gamez to the free throw line, where she converted both opportunities to lead once again by three points with seven seconds showing.
With one chance to tie the contest on a last second effort, Hester’s improbable shot found its mark to knot the contest at 61-61, shocking the opposition and the crowd while forcing the game into overtime.
Free’s jumper with 3:55 remaining in the extra period allowed the Bronchos to take a one-point lead, 65-64 before Merchant struck again, knocking down another 3-pointer to put UCO in a four-point deficit with two minutes left in overtime.
Markus earned a pair of free throws, made them both and stole the inbounds pass and converted an uncontested layup to tie the contest at the 1:44 mark before Merchant again buried a 3-pointer to put the Rattlers up by three.
On the next UCO possession, Pillow answered with a 3-pointer of her own to tie the score and after a St. Mary’s miss, Tweed made a driving layup to lead 73-71. St. Mary’s tied the game with a jumper with 18 seconds remaining on the clock before the Bronchos took the last shot of the period, Free’s game-winner from the baseline.
Despite making some clutch 3-point field goals, UCO was just 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) for the game while converting 80.6 percent (25-of-31) of their free throw opportunities.
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Bronchos knock off St. Mary's in a thriller
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UCO Endeavor Games athletes qualify for 2014 world championship powerlifting team
At the University of Central Oklahoma’s Endeavor Games for Athletes with Physical Disabilities June 6-9, four athletes qualified for the 2014 World Championships in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) powerlifting competition.
The qualifying athletes include Trevor Bunch from O’Fallon, Mo.; who is making his World Championships debut; Scott Danberg from Cooper City, Fla., a five-time Paralympian; Bryce Segura from New Iberia, La., who is competing in his first World Championships; and Mary Stack from Ann Arbor, Mich., a four-time Paralympian. -
Two UCO rowers named All-American
Central Oklahoma rowers Jenna Goodner and Michaela Stam have been named to the NCAA Division II All-America Team, it was announced by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.
Goodner was a first-team selection, while Stam was a second-team choice. All-America selections take into account a candidate’s strength of schedule, regular season record, end of season regatta results, nomination rank, coach’s comments and 2,000-meter ergometer score. -
The remembrance remains fresh
The celebration is not over.
The Deer Creek girls basketball team continued to relive March’s state basketball championship Friday at Deer Creek High School with a Class 5A state championship ring ceremony.
Head coach Totsy Manning greeted each of her players by presenting them with a title ring.
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Traffic shouldn’t be an issue with upcoming national soccer tournament
About 15,000 people are expected at the U.S. Youth Soccer Southern Regional at the Edmond Soccer Complex on Danforth Road near Kelly Avenue June 21-27.
The number of out-of-state guests should not be a problem according to Assistant City Manager Steve Commons. The tournament will attract more than 200 boys and girls teams, ages Under-13 through Under-19, from the 12 state associations that make up U.S. Youth Soccer Region III (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, north Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, south Texas and Tennessee).
As a matter of fact, Commons feels very upbeat about the prospect of Edmond hosting the national tournament. -
LaFaye takes Pick-A-Partner crown with 135
The KickingBird Men’s Golf Assocation’s Pick-A-Partner was won by Robert LaFaye Saturday with a 135.
Sean Conrad took second (136) while Kevin Wright and Kevin O’Neil deadlocked for third place at 137. -
UCO overtakes Division II foes for national title
Starting out the postseason, the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos softball team puttered out in the MIAA Tournament.
But UCO shifted it into another gear when the rounds of regionals began and rode the wild momentum going undefeated en route to securing the NCAA II national championship over Kutztown (Pa.) in Salem, Va.
The Bronchos dominated, going 9-0 straight through to the national title contest on May 27. -
2013 US Youth Soccer Region III Championships to bring more than $8 million to Edmond area
he 2013 US Youth Soccer Region III (South) Championships presented by the National Guard, to be played June 21-27, will provide an estimated economic impact of more than $8 million to the Edmond area.
Local restaurants, hotels, retail stores and others will benefit from the more than 3,600 players, coaches, teams and tournament officials, along with an estimated 12,000 spectators attending the seven-day tournament. Visitors to the Edmond area will book an estimated 10,000 room nights at area hotels.
The top 200 Boys and Girls US Youth Soccer teams from Region III, including at least 19 teams from the host Oklahoma Soccer Association, will compete at the Edmond Soccer Club Complex. -
Memorial graduate Morris totes home MVP trophy
It’s always good when Oklahoma beats Texas in anything and Saturday night’s 101-95 victory by Oklahoma over Texas in the annual Faith 7 Basketball Bowl at Oklahoma Baptist University's Noble Complex was a real cause for celebration.
But the happiest person in the gym might have been Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall. You might remember that Marshall and his band of opportunistic Shockers shocked the basketball world and several NCAA experts with their improbable run to the much coveted Final 4 in April.
But Marshall, one of the clinic speakers during the annual Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association annual festival, didn't want to talk about the Shockers’ monumental achievements of the spring. His big grin and jovial nature could easily have been a glimpse into the Wichita State future. -
Stars’ Crabaugh, Jensen become MLB draftees
Oklahoma City University’s Cody Crabaugh and Chase Jensen have been chosen in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Saturday.
The San Diego Padres took Jensen in the 22nd round with the 658th overall selection, while the Miami Marlins picked Crabaugh, a former Edmond North player, in the 32nd round with the 952nd choice.
Crabaugh, a senior right-handed pitcher from Edmond, compiled a 13-2 record and 2.12 earned run average, three complete games, a shutout and 77 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched this year.
In the NAIA, Crabaugh ranked fourth in wins this year. He led the SAC in wins and ranked second in ERA to his teammate Derek Howell. Crabaugh struck out seven in eight innings, both season highs, against Mid-America Christian on May 3 in the SAC Tournament. His whitewashed St. Gregory's on March 20 in Shawnee, Okla. He became a second-team NAIA all-American and first-team all-SAC selection this season. -
UCO Endeavor Games come to a close
The UCO Endeavor Games for athletes with physical disabilites began with clinics used for warm-ups for competitors and a learning session for athletes new to the sports.
From beginners to Paralympians, the competitive fields wound down on Sunday throughout the Edmond area.
The UCO Endeavor Games are Wheelchair and Ambulatory Sports, USA level 3 sanctioned event. Athletes ages 7-21 are encouraged to use their Endeavor Games results to qualify for the National Junior Disability Championship (NJDC). NJDC is the largest multi-sport, multi-disability event for juniors in the United States.
The WASUSA premier event brings together hundreds of athletes with physical disabilities from all over North America to compete in archery, field, table tennis, track, swimming, and weightlifting. - More Sports Headlines
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UCO Endeavor Games athletes qualify for 2014 world championship powerlifting team
