KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team's season came to an end in a 62-53 loss to the University of Central Oklahoma in the first round of the 2026 MIAA Basketball Championships Wednesday (Mar. 4) at Municipal Auditorium.

The Gorillas (15-15) never led in the contest and struggled from the field, shooting just 32.8 percent from the floor (19-58) and 13.6 percent from 3-point range (3-22).

Pitt State's All-MIAA guard tandem of Connor Rogers and Mason English paced the team in scoring. Rogers posted a team-leading 16 points, while English finished with 12. Donald Coats added seven points and 11 rebounds in the contest. Ethan Sage and Alijah Curry also chipped in with seven points apiece.

UCO (17-15) got 21 points and nine rebounds from Matthew Willenborg, while Marcus Zeigler Jr. (16) and Josh Nwankwo (11) also scored in double figures.

The No. 9 seed Bronchos will advance to the MIAA Tournament quarterfinals to meet top-seeded Washburn University, the No. 3 ranked team in NCAA Division II, Thursday (Mar. 5) at 6 p.m.