Ask any Central Oklahoma player, head coach Guy Hardaker and probably just about every Bronchos fan, and the unanimous answer to why this team has been successful is the play of lone senior Ashley Beckley.         

      But in a tournament game, especially one that requires two overtimes, there is always another superstar that must emerge.

      And on this night, UCO’s Alex Richardson was up to the challenge.

      Richardson scored 26 points and had 19 rebounds to lead the Bronchos to a thrilling 74-70 win over Tarleton State in the semifinals of the LSC Championship. Richardson also had four blocks and three assists but her most impressive statistical figure of the night might be 43. That’s the amount of minutes she logged and did much of the second half and overtimes with four fouls.

      In fact, there was a moment in the first overtime when it appeared Richardson’s night would be over. With four fouls and closely guarding Tarleton State post Kiara Wright, a foul was called as the two collided under the basket.

      “Yeah, I thought they called it on me,” Richardson said. “I was hoping though that maybe they didn’t.”

      Her hopes were granted as the foul was called on a reach-in by teammate Alyssa Fuxa. Two possessions later, Richardson cut TSU’s lead to one with a running jumper in the lane.

      Richardson said it was a tough balance to play the game with four fouls but maintain a level of aggressiveness on both ends.

      “It’s tough, but Coach (Hardaker) has a ton of confidence in me,” Richardson said. “I think if he has confidence in me, it boosts my confidence. My teammates do a great job of keeping me from fouling. I know at the end, Alyssa took a foul that I wouldn’t foul of the game. We work together so well and always have each other’s backs.”

      On this night, Richardson had her team’s back – and a few rebounds, too. But it wasn’t by accident. She was challenged by her coach before the tip.

       “Before the game, Coach (Hardaker) basically told me I was going to have a big game for us to win,” said Richardson, who is also a member of UCO’s volleyball team. “He said the team was counting on me to step up. And that’s what I tried to do.”

      Richardson had a huge night, but it wasn’t unmatched. Beckley also had 25 points and 13 points.

      “Ashley is definitely the core of our team,” Richardson said. “She’s the reason why we’ve done so well. We don’t want to send her out of her career at UCO with any more losses. That’s our plan. She always pushes us and remains confident in all of us. We know if we need points or a big play, she’s going to come through.”

      While Beckley did that again on Friday. She had some help in the form of Richardson.