Bronchos Rally Past RiverHawks
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Oklahoma (8-9) | 18 | 46 | 64 |
| Northeastern St. (3-12) | 30 | 23 | 53 |
| Tahlequah, OK | |||
| Central Oklahoma | Northeastern St. |
|---|---|
| Pts: Smith,Spencer - 15 | Pts: Justin Johnson - 15 |
| Reb: Phillips,Tucker - 8 | Reb: John Schneider - 6 |
| Ast: 2 Players (#20, #23 - 4) | Ast: Ethan Anderson - 4 |
| Team Statistics | Central Oklahoma | Northeastern St. |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 47.9% (23-48 ) | 37.3% (19-51 ) |
| Rebounds | 33 | 27 |
| Assists | 15 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 10 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 13 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 20 | 14 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 15 | 21 |
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. --- Central Oklahoma overcame a 12-point halftime deficit by shooting 67 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes to rally past Northeastern State, 64-53, at Dobbins Field House Thursday night.
The Bronchos evened their record for the year at 9-9, while the RiverHawks fell to 3-13.
Tyler Phillips scored all 11 of his points in the second half to help UCO to the win. The Bronchos knocked down 16-of-24 shots in the last half, including 9-of-14 from beyond the arc.
Northeastern State built a 30-18 lead at intermission as Justin Johnson came off the bench to pace the offensive attack with seven points. NSU's defensive pressure was outstanding, limiting UCO to a mere 7-of-24.
However, the Bronchos found their touch to open the second stanza with an 11-0 flurry to take their first lead of the game at 31-30 with 15:27 left.
NSU responded with a spurt of its own when Jon Miller and Johnson canned back-to-back treys between a Phillips layup for a 37-33 edge. The RiverHawks extended their advantage to as many as five twice, 40-35 and 42-37, near the midway point before Central Oklahoma regained momentum.
Leading 54-51 with 5:33 left, Spencer Smith, who tied NSU's Johnson for game-high scoring honors with 15, drained a trey and two free throws, and Shane Carroll added a 3-pointer to spur an 8-2 run to push the Bronchos to a sizeable 62-53 lead just 2:30 later.
Miller was the only other NSU player to score in double figures with 14. Behind Smith, Tucker poured through 11 and Brent Friday added 10.
The two teams will meet three more times during the regular season.
Northeastern State will host Missouri Southern on Saturday at 4 p.m. in its next outing.
