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University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

RJ Pair
Corbey R. Dorsey
64
Neb.-Kearney UNK 16-12,10-9 Mid-America Intercollegiate
68
Winner Central Okla. CentOK 11-17,8-11 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Neb.-Kearney UNK
16-12,10-9 Mid-America Intercollegiate
64
Final
68
Central Okla. CentOK
11-17,8-11 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Neb.-Kearney UNK 34 30 64
Central Okla. CentOK 30 38 68

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Bronchos Close Fast to Nip the Lopers, 68-64

Kearney, Neb. – The Central Oklahoma Bronchos closed on a 14-2 run to slip past Nebraska-Kearney, 68-64, Saturday evening in Edmond.

UCO (11-17, 8-11) won its last four games to grab the eighth seed in the 10-team MIAA Tournament. UNK (16-12, 10-9) will be the seventh seed in that event and face 10th-seed Pittsburg State (11-17, 7-12) next Wednesday at 8:15 p.m.

The Lopers came in 0-7 all-time in Edmond but were poised to snap that streak and snag the fifth seed in the league tourney. A jumper by junior guard RJ Pair (The Colony, Texas) made it 62-54 at the 3:05 mark and capped a 9-1 run.

However the fortunes for both teams changed quickly as UNK's last six offensive possessions resulted in a bucket, two turnovers and three missed shots. UCO scored in its final seven possessions, going 5 of 6 at the line and making all four shots it took. Redshirt freshman guard Carson Calavan rebounded his own missed free throw with nine seconds left with the score 66-64. He finished the scoring with two made freebies. 

"We didn't execute well enough down the stretch. We had our opportunities and it starts defensively. If we had just buckled down once we got on top of them that at the end that could've sealed it away," UNK head coach Kevin Lofton said. "Offensively you wish you could have a couple of those plays back. Maybe draw up something better."

Playing 17 minutes off the bench Calavan scored seven of his nine points over the final 3:05. Starting guard Cam Givens also was big down the stretch, sinking a three and a layup to finish with nine points as well. 

UCO took advantage of a small UNK squad as Kansas senior forward Morgan Soucie missed a second straight game due to injury and then Bellevue senior forward AJ Jackson fouled out with just over seven minutes remaining. That led to the 'Chos having a 33-23 advantage on the glass and 32 paint points.

"They made a handful of plays and we didn't. When you lose a game and it's that close that's what it really comes down to," Lofton said. 

Pair led UNK with 15 points, his second double digit effort. He made five shots, including three treys, in logging 31 minutes off the bench. Next Bellevue redshirt freshman Cedric Johnson had 14 points to tie a season-high with Utah junior guard Jake Walker netting 10 on three made buckets and two free throws.

"They have a lot of length around the boards and they were getting to the basket. At times we did a good job of keeping them off the glass but just didn't do enough at the end," Lofton said. "RJ really stepped up and tried to bring it home for us and Cedric stepped up and had a nice stretch there."

Besides Calavan and Givens getting hot late UCO saw reserve D.J. Basey and starter Dashawn McDowell score 13 apiece. McDowell went 9 of 10 at the line with the 'Chos finishing 26 of 31 as a team.

 
 
 
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