Once again, there will not be a repeat champion on the men's side of the Lone Star Conference tournament.

            Southwestern Oklahoma made sure of that Saturday, upsetting top-seed Central Oklahoma 69-67 in the semifinal round at Bruin Fieldhouse.

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            Senior guard Clark Hale hit a running one-handed jumper with two seconds to play that gave the Bulldogs a two-point lead. On the ensuring play, UCO's David Thomas misfired on a halfcourt shot. 

            The Bulldogs not only advanced to Sunday's championship game for the first time in school history, but kept their playoff hopes alive as well. SWOSU (19-10) will likely have to win Sunday's game against the winner of MSU and Texas A&M-Kingsville to gain the automatic berth to the regional tournament.

            Central Oklahoma, winners of the 2008 LSC tournament in Bartlesville, was looking to become the first repeat winner since MSU did it in 1999 and 2000.

            The season is certainly not lost for the Bronchos (24-5), who currently rank third in the South Central region. 

            While Hale led all scorers with 18 points, Abdullah Lawal, the LSC North Defensive Player of the Year and Division II steals leader, did everything else for the Bulldogs. The senior from Plano scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds, with five assists and three steals.

            After jumping out to an early 11-point lead in the first half, the Bulldogs got rather cold, especially from 3-point land. UCO took control of the game, but the tied turned with about seven minutes to play.

            The Bronchos led 56-50, but Brent Friday couldn't extend the lead, missing a free throw. Moments later, Lawal scored on a layup and the Bulldogs started an 11-0 run, keyed by another 3-pointer from Hale.

            During that run for SWOSU, the Bronchos missed three more free throws.

            Southwestern actually grabbed a seven-point lead with 1:03 to play and appeared to be locked into the final round. Instead, UCO junior Eric Cazenave, who has a reputation for hitting clutch shots, cut the lead to three on two straight baskets. And then after a turnover, with 20 seconds left, Cazenave tied the score with another huge 3-pointer from the corner.

            But after a Bulldogs timeout, the play went back to Hale, who shook his defender loose for an open lane to the basket.

Southwestern Oklahoma Notes

• First time for SWOSU to advance to Championship game
• Bulldogs now have 4-7 tournament record
• Series record between the two teams is now tied at 77-77
• SWOSU's win broke five-game losing streak to UCO that dates back to 2005-06
• Lawal's three steals today move him to third in school record books for single season steals, now totaling 125.
• Jordan Frosch had his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
• SWOSU last won a conference tournament title when they beat Science & Arts of Oklahoma in the 1994-95 season. The victory was in the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference and put the Bulldogs in the NAIA Tournament.

Central Oklahoma Notes

• UCO falls to 18-13 in LSC Tournament games. The Bronchos lost in the semifinals for the 3rd time in four years, 06, 07, and 09 - and won the title in 2008.
• UCO made four three-points in the game, stretching its streak for 634 games with at least one three-pointer.
• It was the first ever LSC Tournament meeting between UCO and SWOSU
• It was the 152nd meeting between the two teams. They are old time rivals that date back to 1922-23. This series is now tied at 76-76.
• Michael Sosanya set a career high with four blocked shots.  

Southwestern Oklahoma Quotes

Todd Thurman -

It was an unreal effort by both teams.  I have a group of seniors that truly deserve this; they left everything on the floor.  We have to have things go our way to win.  They pound it inside so we need to hit shots, make plays and hit free throws.  The rebounding was a key for us.  Early in the season we were too hyped to play them, the second game was a good game, but they just came out on top.  We play with heart and Frosch is the leader of that.  I think we can win a championship, we have experienced people.  We didn't change our defensive philosophy (56-50 down), but they missed a free throw and we made some big plays.

Clarke Hale -

We were going to run White off a few screens and use him as a decoy.  Things opened up for me on the base line and I was able to get my shot off.  It was an indescribable feeling when the shot went in.  It makes it a better win just because of the caliber of team that UCO has.

Abdullah Lawal -

I'm so emotionally, it's unbelievable, and it's a dream.

Central Oklahoma Quotes

Terry Evans -

Defensively we were good except for defensive rebounding.  We never got in the groove offensively.  They beat us in every category and missing free throws really cost us.  Our guys played hard and never gave up.  Last year we won the tournament and took the momentum into the NCAA Tournament.  This might help us refocus to get ready.  We need to be as aggressive as our opponents.  Our goals are still intact to go to the Elite 8 and win a national championship.  We talk about playing for 40 minutes. We've been really good at playing the last two minutes in the tournament, but we need to play the other 38 to put ourselves in position to win.  This is a great tournament with a wonderful atmosphere.  The people in Bartlesville have embraced this tournament.

Eric Cazenave -

We want to learn from the game and correct our mistakes.  We have a week to prepare.  I just had to be a little more cautious when I had four fouls.  I just ran to the corner and was able to knock down the big shot.

Lance Harper -

We knew they would come out with great intensity and effort.