Kangaroos Open Three-Game Homestand Against Wichita State On Saturday
12/13/2007 2:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will play the first of three straight home games on Saturday night when it squares off against Wichita State at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The game between the Kangaroos and Shockers will tip-off at 7:07 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on Kansas 22 in Wichita and Metro Sports in Kansas City.
On The Tube
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on Kansas 22 in Wichita and on Metro Sports in Kansas City. WSU's Bruce Heartl will call the play-by-play, while Craig Steven will serve as the color commentator.
On The Air
All UMKC men's basketball games can be heard on Sports Radio 810 WHB AM. Fans can also hear the games online at www.810whb.com. “The Voice of the Kangaroos” Danny Clinkscale will call the play-by-play action for UMKC for the seventh straight season. Former Kangaroo Michael Watson will serve as the color commentator.
On The Web
Fans can watch all UMKC home games and all league contests live on SummitTV. Fans can access SummitTV through www.umkckangaroos.com or www.thesummitleague.org. More than 275 men's and women's games will be featured as part of the $49.95 annual subscription package.
A Look At Wichita State
The Shockers enter Saturday's contest with a 5-3 overall record this season. In its last game, WSU had its four-game winning streak snapped at home against UT-Arlington, 60-59. Three Shocker players finished in double figures in the game with guard/forward P.J. Couisnard leading the way with a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Four Wichita State players are averaging in double figures on the season. Couisnard is leading the way with 11.8 points to go along with 6.6 rebounds. Guard Gal Mekel is averaging 10.6 points, forward Phillip Thomasson chips in 10.5 per contest, and guard Matt Braeuer adds 10.3 a night. Junior college transfer Ramon Clemente, meanwhile, is pacing the squad with 8.6 rebounds per contest, which ranks second in the MVC.
WSU Game Facts
- Head Coach Gregg Marshall's next win will be his 200th career victory.
- Marshall spent the past nine seasons at Winthrop, where he advanced to seven NCAA Tournaments. Last season, Marshall led the Eagles to a 29-5 overall record, as they became the first school in Big South history to go undefeated in league play.
- As a result, Marshall was named the Collegehoops.net 2007 Mid-Major Coach of the Year and the Collegeinsider.com Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year.
- Guard Gal Mekel is leading the Missouri Valley Conference in free throw percentage (1.000). Wichita State is second in the league in rebounding with a 36.1 per game average.
Wichita State vs. UMKC - The Series
The Shockers are 4-1 in five all-time meetings against UMKC, which includes victories in each of the past three seasons. The Kangaroos' lone win came in 1994 in Kansas City by a 68-48 scoreline.
Last Contest
The Kangaroos dropped a 79-70 decision at IPFW last Saturday at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. UMKC led 45-38 at the halftime break, but the Mastodons quickly evened the score at 45 less than a minute into the second half. With the score 64-63 in UMKC's favor with 6:40 remaining in the contest, the Mastodons used a 16-6 run to close out the game to run out nine-point winners.
Notes From The IPFW Game
- The Kangaroos scored just 25 second half points against the Mastodons, as only two players - Dane Brumagin and Tim Blackwell - scored for the team.
- UMKC lost for the first time this season when it led at the break. The Kangaroos were up 45-38 at halftime against IPFW.
- The Mastodons out rebounded the Kangaroos, 31-28. IPFW also had 21 assists to UMKC's 11.
Back To The Friendly Confines Of Municipal
The Kangaroos return home to the friendly confines of Municipal Auditorium for six of their next eight games, including the next three contests. UMKC is currently 3-1 in home dates this season, as the team's lone defeat came to Eastern Washington (54-65) on Dec. 3.
The squad is averaging 75.0 points at Municipal, while shooting .440 from the floor and .432 from long range. UMKC is averaging 10.3 three point field goals on its home court this season.
Brumagin Is Lights Out
Junior Dane Brumagin has been in “the zone” for the Kangaroos in each of the past two games, as he's scored a total of 75 points. The guard has connected on .703 (26-37) percent of his field goal attempts, .667 (10-15) of his three pointers and 1.000 (13-13) of his free throw shots during the stretch.
Brumagin opened with a 40-point outburst, which included 29 second half points, against Oakland on Dec. 6. He made 12-of-17 shot attempts, which included a 7-of-9 mark from three point range. The point total is the highest in The Summit League this season.
The junior continued his hot shooting at IPFW, as he scored 23 first half points on 10-of-11 shooting. Dating back to the previous game, Brumagin accounted for 52 points over the two halves. For the game, the forward finished with 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting. The 14 field goals are a career-best.
On the year, Brumagin is fifth in The Summit League and 36th in the nation with a 20.2 per game scoring average. He is third in the league and 34th nationally in three-point field makes per game (3.2), and he's fourth in the league and 14th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.508).
Brumagin has scored in double figures in 8-of-10 games on the year. He has five games with 20 or more points and nine such games in his career.
Blackwell Posts Season-High
Senior Tim Blackwell was a nice complement to Dane Brumagin last Saturday at IPFW. The Cameron, Mo., native scored a season-high 19 points on 5-of-13 shooting, which included an 8-of-9 mark from the charity stripe. It was the second time this season that Blackwell has scored in double figures, and it was the 32nd time in his career.
Birthday Wishes
A victory over Wichita State would serve as a nice birthday present for Matt Brown, as the first-year head coach will turn 38 on Saturday. A victory would also be nice early gift for assistant coach Ed Kohtala, as he will celebrate his 50th birthday on Sunday.
Simms To Suit Up On Saturday
Junior Kenny Simms, a transfer from Florida International University, will suit up for the first time in a Kangaroo uniform on Saturday against Wichita State. The forward/center played in a total of 58 games for FIU prior to transferring to UMKC.
Over The Century Mark
UMKC scored over 100 points for the 18th time in the program's history on Dec.6 at Oakland. The 105 points were the 10th most all-time, and it was the first time the school has been over the century mark since Dec. 4, 2003, against Texas-Pan American.
On the flip side, the 114 points scored by Oakland were the second most points scored against the Kangaroos all-time. The most points that the team has ever surrendered was 119 against U.S. International in 1991.
Brumagin In The Single Game Recordbooks
With his performances last weekend, junior Dane Brumagin moved into some elite company in UMKC history alongside Tony Dumas, Ronnie Schmitz and Michael Watson.
Brumagin's 40-point game at Oakland is tied for the fifth highest single game performance in the school recordbooks. The forward also tied a school record with six three pointers in the second half alone against the Grizzlies. The 40-point showing also was the first for the Kangaroos since Watson scored 40 points against OU in 2004.
The 35-point contest at IPFW, meanwhile, is tied for the ninth in the UMKC history. Brumagin now has three 30-point games in his career, which is tied for fourth all-time in the UMKC recordbooks.
