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University of Nebraska - Kearney Athletics

Klaire Kirsch
Paul Pack
61
Neb.-Kearney UNK 25-5,14-5 Mid-America Intercollegiate
69
Winner Central Okla. CentOK 18-9,12-7 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Neb.-Kearney UNK
25-5,14-5 Mid-America Intercollegiate
61
Final
69
Central Okla. CentOK
18-9,12-7 Mid-America Intercollegiate
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Neb.-Kearney UNK 14 18 12 17 61
Central Okla. CentOK 17 16 17 19 69

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

'Chos Use Fourth Quarter Run to Win, 69-61

Kearney, Neb. – Six-three junior post Kelsey Johnson scored 26 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, to help Central Oklahoma down No. 30/24 Nebraska-Kearney, 69-61, Saturday afternoon in Edmond.

This was the regular season finale for both. The Lopers (25-5, 14-5) finish in third place in the MIAA standings with UCO (18-9, 12-7) coming in seventh. UNK will face Missouri Western State (21-7, 13-6) Friday at 2:15 p.m. in an MIAA Tournament first round game in Kansas City. It marks the third straight year the Lopers and Griffons square off in this event. 

Both teams were a bit short-handed today as UNK point guard Haley Simental (Pueblo West, Colo.) logged just eight minutes and UCO guard Micayla Haynes sat out to illness/injury. To avenge a 75-59 loss to the Lopers earlier this year UCO went 22 of 25 at the line, tallied 16 points off 11 turnovers and limited Kearney to a 5 of 24 effort (21%) from behind the arc.

"It was a one-point game at half (UCO 33-2) and I thought we had a chance there in the second. We're just making mental errors right now," UNK assistant coach Devin Eighmey said. "We got refused on some ball screens. We thought about doubling (Johnson) but we also didn't want them to get going from the three-point line."

A transfer from Division I Texas-Arlington, Johnson had 12 points (5 of 6 field goals) in the first meeting but reached 26 today thanks to 9 of 12 shooting. She also went 8 for 8 at the line, grabbed four defensive rebounds, recorded two steals and handed out one assist.

"We had 54 (shot) attempts and only three offensive rebounds. We talked that about at half … we just have to buck up a little bit. Haley is (not 100 percent) but that doesn't mean we're not capable of getting it done," Eighmey said. "We had some lapses in the fourth quarter where we made some individual mental errors. That stuff gets you beat late in games."

Trailing for 34 minutes on the day UNK led 42-37 midway through the third quarter. An 8-0 Loper run was capped by a bucket by Iowa sophomore wing Maegan Holt. However that was Kearney's biggest lead of the day as UCO quickly responded with its own 8-0 spurt.

Things were tied at 52 with 6:19 left when UCO used a 10-3 run to put things on ice. This stretch featured two Johnson jumpers and 4 for 4 free throw shooting by the 'Chos. UNK did have a chance to make it a 64-62 with about a minute left but a 15-foot jumper found iron instead of net.

"Usually if we keep teams at 65 or below we have a good chance of winning. But we only scored 61 … we were 5 of 24 from three. They were stuck in the paint and that was part of it," Eighmey said. "At some point you have to get in the paint and I don't think we hunted it. If you're not making shots the margin of error gets really small. We competed and have had a great regular season so not all is lost."

Now 16 of 70 from the three-point line over the last four games, UNK got another double double by South Dakota sophomore Klaire Kirsch (12 points & 10 rebounds). Her season total of 245 rebounds puts her eighth on the Loper all-time season list. Next Elkhorn sophomore post Brooke Carlson made 6 of 8 shots to tally 14 with Wahoo sophomore reserve guard Aspen Jansa at six points, six boards in a season-best 30 minutes of work.

Besides Johnson UCO got 11 points apiece from the starting backcourt of Brooke Rayner and Shatoya Bryson.
 
 
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