Central Oklahoma claimed the first-ever LSC Championship in Bartlesville back in 2008. Thanks to a balanced scoring effort, a 14-0 second-half run and an all-around performance from a star player, UCO made sure it won the last won as well.

      In a battle of No. 1 seeds, the Bronchos (28-3) were too strong for Tarleton State once again, running past the Texans 68-52 Sunday in the LSC Championship final game at Bruin Fieldhouse. UCO has now defeated Tarleton seven straight times and nine of the last 10 meetings.

      Dauntae Williams was named MVP of the tournament for this three-game effort. Williams scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds and three assists on Sunday, while teammates Brent Friday and Victor Driver were also on the all-tournament team. Friday led UCO in scoring against TSU with 16 points while Driver added 14 off the bench. Driver entered the weekend averaging 4.5 points but had three straight games of double-figure scoring.

      Corin Henry led the Texans (24-5) with 19 points and was TSU’s only representative on the all-tournament squad. Henry led all LSC scorers this weekend with 69 points.

      The game was tight in the early going but by the end of the first half, UCO stretched the lead out to seven at 35-28 That was a dangerous spot for the Texans considering Central Oklahoma was a perfect 25-0 this year when leading at the half.

      The Bronchos made sure that number went to 26 as they opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Williams to push the 10. Tarleton did trim the lead to two with an 11-3 run.

      But that’s when the Bronchos reeled off 14 straight points.

      While UCO needed two overtimes to beat West Texas A&M in Saturday’s semifinal game, it was actually Tarleton that looked to run out of steam. The Texans used a remarkable run Saturday in their semifinal game for a 38-point turnaround in a 24-point win over Midwestern State.

      In the second half Sunday, Tarleton shot just 22.2 percent from the floor (6 of 27 field goals), including 2 of 14 from beyond the arc.

      On the flip side, UCO shot 56.8 percent from the field and was 11 of 18 (61.1 percent) in the second half.  

      With UCO eventually headed to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, the Bronchos leave the LSC with their fifth championship on the men’s side. 

      Tarleton State failed to land its second LSC Championship, but as the No. 3 seed in the South Central Regional, the Texans will certainly try to regroup in next week’s tournament.

      That event could be possibly be held in Edmond, Okla. with UCO playing host. The Bronchos entered the weekend with a No. 2 regional record, but with three straight wins, including two over ranked teams (West Texas A&M and Tarleton State), UCO could surpass Missouri Southern, who lost to Fort Hays State in the finals of the MIAA tournament.

       Regional pairings for the men’s bracket will be announced tonight at NCAA.com at 9 p.m. (CST). The women’s pairings will be announced at 8:30, with both UCO and Tarleton’s women’s teams expected to get bids.

UCO Notes

UCO captured its fifth LSC Tournament title with the win over Tarleton State and the second in the four-year history of the tournament in Bartlesville.  The Bronchos, who finished 21-14 in 15 LSC Tournament appearances, previously won in 1995, '97, '98 and '08 while finishing as runner-up in 1991, '92 and '96.

UCO ended up 7-2 in LSC Tournament games in Bartlesville.

The Bronchos have won seven straight games and 18 of their last 19.

UCO beat Tarleton for the seventh straight time, including the third consecutive time at the LSC Tournament in Bartlesville.  The Bronchos also beat the Texans in the 2008 (semifinals) and 2009 (first round) tournaments.

UCO tied a school record for single season wins with the victory, improving to 28-3.  The Bronchos went 28-6 in 2007-08, winning the LSC North Division, LSC Tournament and South Central Regional titles.

UCO is now 26-0 when leading at halftime.

The Bronchos made 10 3-pointers against Tarleton, extending their streak with at least one 3-pointer to 703 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 28, 1987.  It’s the 15th time this season UCO has made at least 10 treys in a game.