Box Score Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney women's basketball team had all five starters score in double figures to hold off Central Oklahoma, 76-71, Friday night at the Health & Sports Center.
 
This was the regular season finale for both teams. Both UNK (10-16, 6-13) and UCO (11-15, 6-13) have qualified for the 12-team MIAA Tournament and will play road games Monday night against teams to be determined.
 
The bracket will be released Saturday after all this weekend's games are done.
 
Needing to win to get into the postseason, Kearney led almost the entire way as they hit 19 of their first 38 shots.  

Ahead 45-35 at intermission, the Lopers went on a 7-0 run to open up a 62-45 advantage with 10:25 to play. The mini-spurt featured four points from junior post Amarah Williams (St. Louis, Mo.).
 
A guard-oriented team, UCO fired up 23 threes tonight and hit eight of them. Three of those makes came during a 26-10 run that cut the UNK lead to only one, 72-71, with 1:11 to play.
 
UNK was just 4 of 18 (22%) from the field after its hot start and had six turnovers during UCO's big run. However, junior reserve Rylie Bowser (Holton, Kans.) made two free throws with 43 seconds to go and then senior Nicole Arp (Kearney H.S.) did the same to finish the scoring.
 
UCO reserve guard Haley Weathers, who was big down the stretch, missed a potential game-tying three after Bowser's made freebies.
 
On "Senior Night," Beatrice senior Shelby Zimmerman had her team-leading seventh double double (11 rebounds & 10 points) with Williams scoring a team-high 19 on 8 of 15 shooting.
 
In the backcourt, Arp had 10 points and four assists, Colorado senior Sarah Hix chipped in with 12 points, three assists and two steals with Trenton sophomore Laramey Lewis at 10 points, nine boards and four assists in 39 minutes.
 
Finally, Bowser (five points, three rebounds & two steals) and Nevada freshman Tori Payne (five points and three rebounds) were big off the bench.
 
UCO had four score in double figures, led by starter Hayley Bryan (15).