Feb 28
Men’s Basketball MWSU vs UCO
Missouri Western showed up and showed out against #13 Central Oklahoma with a 71–68 upset win this past Tuesday night. Giving Central Oklahoma their first loss at home this season.
The win is Missouri Western’s first road victory since Dec. 9, 2021 and their third win over a ranked opponent this season.
Missouri Western (10–12, 6–8 MIAA) did not start the game off so well. Facing a 14-point deficit with less than 7 minutes into the game. Eventually, the Griffons showed resilience and went on a 12–2 run to lead 36–35 at the half.
The Griffons hit the ground run right out of halftime with an 11–2 run and led 56–46 with 10:05 left in the second half.
Central Oklahoma (19–4, 14–3 MIAA) shoved back and went on a 12–1 run to take the lead 58–57 with 5:26 left on the clock in the second half.
The lead did not last for long because JaRon Thames and Will Eames put up back-to-back layups which put the Griffons back 61–58, with 4:18 left on the clock. Missouri Western never let the lead go after that.
“Where we’re sitting in the league standings right now isn’t what we expected,” Missouri Western head coach Will Martin said. Missouri Western is sitting ninth in the MIAA which has only 14 teams. “We’re not satisfied with it, but these kids show up every single day looking to solve problems. And looking to become more connected and put us in position to play our best basketball in March, which are our only two goals.”
With Missouri Western leading 67–65 and a minute to go, a dunk from Taye Fields and a Thames layup put the Griffons up 71–66 with only 40 seconds left in the game.
The Griffons missed the front end of two one-and-one inside of 30 seconds. The Bronchos were able to get the ball back with 16 seconds left, down by three.
The Bronchos tried a three with five seconds left but missed. Bronchos got the offensive rebound and took a hard long three but it was an air ball. The Missouri Western pulled out an upset against #13 Central Oklahoma.
“Any win is a big win,” Coach Martin said. This was his fifth win over a ranked team being only in his second year.
