UMKC Continues Road Swing, Taking On Missouri On Saturday
12/14/2007 6:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
In the third game of a four-game road swing, UMKC visits in-state foe Missouri on Saturday afternoon, looking to snap a a pair of streaks. The Kangaroos have lost their last two games and have yet to hand Missouri a defeat in the all-time series between the two schools. Tipoff for Saturday's contest is set for 1 p.m. from the Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. Live stats for the game are available through Missouri's GameTracker, linked from the UMKC schedule page.
By The Numbers
Although Missouri has been averaging above 40 percent from the floor on the season, the teams are separated by just two points in their average offensive output. The Tigers have hit at a much better three-point rate on the season than the Kangaroos and have turned the ball over on average four fewer times per contest, but otherwise the teams are fairly even in the stats.
About The Tigers
Cindy Stein is in her 10th season as the bench boss for Missouri, and has put together a 155-125 overall record. She returns just one starter from last year's squad that finished 5-11 in the Big 12, good for just a 10th place finish. The Tigers have squared off against two teams on UMKC's 07-08 slate, dropping a 78-63 result at South Dakota State and prevailing 70-61 over Texas State in Columbia.
The Tigers have three players averaging better than 10 points per game, with Alyssa Hollins and Jessra Johnson carrying identical 17.4 pts/gm averages. Shakara Jones adds 13.0 points per contest for the Missouri cause.
Off the glass, the Tigers hold a slight edge over their opponents, led by Johnsons 9.1 grabs per game. Toy Richbow has dished out 38 of Missouri's 133 team assists on the year.
Last Time Out For The Kangaroos
On the road for the second consecutive game, UMKC visited reigning league champion Oakland for a Monday night contest. The Kangaroos battled early in the first half but couldn't overcome a sloppy stretch late in the stanza and fell by a 78-50 count.
Despite turning the ball over on its first possession, UMKC grabbed an early 3-1 lead, as Chazny Morris hit a three pointer with just over a minute elapsed.
The teams would trade the lead back and forth for the first six minutes of the game, with Alysa Klein banking in a layup to give the Kangaroos a 11-10 lead with 13:49 left in the half.
Unfortunately, it would be the last points over a lengthy span for UMKC, as Oakland took advantage of poor shooting and eight Kangaroo turnovers to reel off a 20-0 run.
Brittny Picconi finally found net for the Kangaroos with 5:31 left in the half, but it was only able to stanch the bleeding, as UMKC went into the half down 41-24.
UMKC continued to have troubles hanging on to the ball coming out of the break. The Kangaroos allowed Oakland to stretch out a 27-point cushion, committing three turnovers in the first four minutes.
Lindsay Fields sparked a 9-2 run for UMKC, converting a three-point play with 13:17 left in the game and adding a pair of free throws on UMKC's next possession. Klein and Taushelle Rushing added buckets during the run, but the Kangaroos were only able to close the gap as close as 63-44, with just over 10 minutes left in the contest.
Oakland fired back with seven unanswered points over a span of 2:18, holding off the Kangaroos - who could never find the mark down the stretch.
Klein was the only Kangaroo to finish in double figures on the night, scoring 16 points to lead all scorers. She also led the team off the glass, grabbing seven of UMKC's 23 rebounds.
Oakland had three players finish with 10 points or better, led by Charlese Greer with 15 points. Melissa Jeltema grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Golden Grizzlies, who dominated the battle off the glass, pulling down 40. Oakland also swiped the ball 15 times to just seven for the Kangaroos.
Starting Fast
In her first full season at the helm for UMKC, head coach Candace White-Whitaker jumped in with both feet, as her squad opened the regular season with four games over a span of eight days. The Kangaroos opened the 2007-08 campaign with a road contest at Central Arkansas on November 9 before returning home to face the Lady Falcons of Air Force on Sunday. After a mid-week jaunt to Lawrence to take on Kansas, UMKC wrapped up the busy stretch with a home game against Northern Colorado on November 17.
The Kangaroos will be rewarded for the busy start with a holiday break, however, as UMKC is not scheduled to play a contest for a 12-day span stretching between December 19 and January 2.
UMKC In League Openers
With the loss at IPFW, UMKC fell to 6-8 overall in league openers. The Kangaroos are 2-3 when opening the league slate on the road and 4-5 in home openers. Candace White-Whitaker captured a win to open league play last season, downing Southern Utah 64-48. Overall, UMKC is 6-7 in league openers, with a 2-2 record when opening the league slate away from home. The last time the Kangaroos opened the conference slate with a road win came in the 2002-03 season, when UMKC downed Southern Utah by a 61-54 margin.
In The Last, Win The First?
Fans of UMKC women's basketball will certainly hope that head coach Candace White-Whitaker doesn't follow in the footsteps of the previous two coaches who captured victories in season openers for the Kangaroos. Both Bo Overton and Dana Eikenberg opened the final season of their respective tenures with victories.
Overton picked up a 71-46 decision over Northern Colorado to open the 2006-07 campaign before departing for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA mid-season, while Eikenberg downed Kansas by a 63-50 margin before leaving after the 2003-04 season for Southern Illinois.
Looking back to the first time the Kangaroos opened the road slate with a win also gives a bit of pause, as Jeff Tadtman dispatched Southeast Missouri State on the road by a 71-70 scoreline in the final season of his tenure. UMKC would later forfeit the contest and other wins earned in the 1999-2000 season, although the results have not been vacated by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
Seconds Please...
The Kangaroos' win over Air Force marked just the third time since UMKC joined the Division I ranks that the Kangaroos started the season 2-0. Brian Agler is the last coach to accomplish that feat, doing so in back-to-back seasons in 1991-92 and 1992-93. The 1991-92 squad opened with a four-game winning streak en route to a 24-7 overall record, while the 1992-93 version of the Kangaroos mustered a three-game streak and finished with a 17-10 record. Ironically the 1992-93 feat also marked the end of a coaching tenure at UMKC, as Agler departed following the campaign.
Three-Point Play
Thus far on the 2007-08 season, UMKC is still looking to find the range from deep. UMKC has mustered barely a 25 percent success rate from beyond the arc this year, hitting only 44 of 172 attempts. Ironically, success has hinted at doom for the Kangaroos this season, as UMKC has lost two of the three contests (at Kansas, at Oakland) that saw them shoot more efficiently from downtown than its foes.
Home Sweet Home
Kansas City has been a welcome home for UMKC this season, as the Kangaroos hold a perfect 4-0 record at home. On the road, however, UMKC has picked up just one win, compiling a 1-4 record as visitor and an 0-1 neutral site record - although UMKC was the away team in that contest as well.
That 70's Show
UMKC is a perfect 4-0 on the year when scoring 70 points or more, finishing two contests on 73 points. The Kangaroos downed Central Arkansas by a 73-63 count to open the season before hanging on for a 73-70 win over Saint Louis on Thursday night. UMKC also reached the 70-point plateau in its win over Colorado State and crested 80 points for the first time on the season against Texas State on Monday. On the flip side of the ledger, UMKC isn't so much a fan of the 50's, having dropped all three contests where they ended the evening with fewer than 59 points - losses at Kansas, against South Alabama and IPFW.
Back To Back AAaack...
The first weekend of league play was a bit harsh, as they set season lows in back-to-back contests for the first time this season. UMKC hit a season-low 51 points at IPFW before landing at a new low of 50 at Oakland on Monday. The Kangaroos also set new low marks in free throws and attempts in both contests (8-9 followed by 3-8) and tied a season-low in steals at seven in both games.
Outright Theft
Taushelle Rushing comes to UMKC with a solid pedigree, having set a single-season NJCAA Region XI record with 215 swipes as a sophomore.
In her first year in the Division I ranks, she has averaged 3.0 steals per game and is currently on pace to finish with 90, fourth-best all time in the UMKC record books.
She started with a flourish, nabbing eight in UMKC's contest against Oklahoma Panhandle State University. The mark, sparked by a first-half outburst of six steals, matched the single-game record for the Kangaroos. Jennifer Sposato's eight-steal contest against Buffalo still stands alone as the top mark, however, as exhibition contests don't count toward the record books.
Half's Fine, Thanks...
In nine of UMKC's first 10 contests, the half-time result has stood, with UMKC picking up the win in each of the four contests where the Kangaroos led at the break and falling in all five contests that saw them trailing. The Kangaroos have also picked up the win in the lone time that the teams went into the intermission tied.
At The Summit Of The Summit
One year removed from a season that saw UMKC record nearly twice as many blocks as several league foes, the Kangaroos are near the top of the league table. UMKC has tallied 38 rejections on the short season, second only to newcomers North Dakota State. The Bison have averaged just short of two blocks more per game than UMKC on the year, although the Kangaroos have played two more contests.
Individually, Alysa Klein has recorded the second-highest block total (18) behind IUPUI's Julia Whitted and tied with Jerri Penley of NDSU.
Chazny Morris (#2 scoring - 18.3/gm), Sierra Radke (#9 assists - 3.20/gm, #2 ft% - .844) and Taushelle Rushing (#2 steals - 3.00/gm) are also among the top ten individuals in The Summit League.
Seeing Double
UMKC has two players who are averaging double figures for the Kangaroos this season, led by Chazny Morris' 18.3 points per game. The sophomore has scored in double figures in nine of the 10 games so far this season, with her 30 points against Texas State marking the first time since Katie Houlehan's 35-point outing against Oakland on January 20, 2003 that a Kangaroo player has crested the 30-point plateau.
Seeing Double-double
Double-doubles have been tantalizingly close in several contests for the Kangaroos this season, so it's not surprising that UMKC's first game to see a double-double saw two. Sierra Radke (14 pts, 11 a) and Kalei Nance (10 pts, 10 reb.) both hit the milestone for UMKC, although Nance will get credit for the first. Nance pulled in her 10th board with 2:31 left in the game, while Radke's 10th assist came at the 1:32 mark.
In the regular season opener, Chazny Morris came up just two rebounds shy of the marker, grabbing eight boards to go with 24 points. She followed up that performance with another near miss in an 11-point, nine-rebound outing against Air Force. Alysa Klein also wound up just shy, scoring 15 and pulling down eight boards against Air Force. Klein once again fell short against South Alabama, needing just two more grabs to go with 27 points.
In UMKC's exhibition contest against Oklahoma Panhandle State University, the Kangaroos had three players within reach of double-double marks on the night. Taushelle Rushing finished two steals shy of the double, dropping 10 points to go with her eight swipes on the afternoon. Krystal VanHook was also close, with her team-best 18 points and seven rebounds coming up just short as well. Heather Wimberly was the closest of the three, needing just one more dish to hit a double-double (10 pts, 9 a) on the day. She was also within reach of a triple-double, finishing with seven rebounds (3 o, 4 d) in the contest.
Season Double-doubles
Kalei Nance (10 pts, 10 reb) - vs. Saint Louis, 11/29/07
Sierra Radke (14 pts, 11 a) - vs. Saint Louis, 11/29/07
Winning Unselfishly
UMKC has also made a habit of being unselfish on offense this season, holding a 139-135 edge in assists thus far. The Kangaroos have finished six games with more assists than their opponents, winning five. The only contest to see the Kangaroos finish with more assists in a losing effort was a 69-55 loss to South Alabama.
The Kangaroos had a very unselfish evening against Saint Louis, handing out 21 helpers on the night.
Helping Out Your Friends
Sierra Radke's 11-assist outing against Saint Louis was not just a career best for the senior, it marked the first time since the 2005-06 season that a Kangaroo dished out 10 assists or more in a single game. The previous double-digit dish night came against Oakland, as Jowan Ortega handed out 10 dimes in a 75-61 win on January 16, 2006. Ortega fell just shy of the double-double mark on the evening, however, finishing the night with eight points.
Inside Out?
Although she is a key inside threat for the Kangaroos, senior Alysa Klein can also hit the three ball with the best of them. Klein is 3-4 from outside the arc in her career after swishing a pair of treys this season, against South Alabama and at IPFW. The Okoboji, Iowa, native also drained her lone effort from distance during the 2006-07 season, hitting at Oakland on January 6.
Block Party
Just three games into the 2007-08 season, Alysa Klein followed up on her record-setting performance from last year by capturing the top spot on the career blocks list at UMKC. Klein passed Lauren Powers, recording her 145th career swat with 7:09 left in the second half at Kansas. The Okoboji, Iowa, native's career average of 1.6 blks/gm is the third best in program history, and projects to a final mark of 170. However, a double-century mark is not out of reach should the senior return to the pace she enjoyed on the 2006-07 season. She hit a slight hiccup against San Francisco and South Alabama, as she failed to record a block in back-to-back games for the first time in better than a year. The last time Klein was without a rejection in consecutive games was on January 21 and 23, 2006, as she failed to register a block at either IUPUI or Oral Roberts.
1. Alysa Klein 154 b 97 g 1.6
2. Lauren Powers 144 b 103 g 1.4
3. Joy Ommen 75 b 21 g 3.6
4. LaRonna Lassiter 63 b 103 g 0.6
5. Georgia Bivens 61 b 53 g 1.2
On The Glass
With the concentration on Alysa Klein's move last season into the second spot on the all-time blocks list at UMKC, her appearance among the top 10 rebounders slid under the radar. She moved into fifth place at Kansas and now has 564 grabs for her career. If she is able to duplicate her pace from the 2006-07 season, Klein can reach second spot on the list, although claiming a second top spot would take a monstrous effort.
1. Laurie Smith 864 r 123 g 7.0
2. Stephanie Worthy 696 r 67 g 10.4
3. Darci Haas 654 r 106 g 6.2
4. Lauren Powers 600 r 103 g 5.9
5. Alysa Klein 564 r 97 g 5.8
6. Mary Michalski 524 r 55 g 9.5
Making It Count
With her 27-point explosion against South Alabama, Alysa Klein moved into a third top-10 list at UMKC - career field-goal makes. With her eight at Oakland, she moved into ninth place past Liz Daney and should easily crest eighth as and now sits with 370 career field goal makes. She passed Amy Thompson, and now sets her sights on Liz Daney and Lauren Powers, who have 376 and 379 respectively.
1. Penny Waggener 123 g 613 fg 5.0
2. Stephanie Worthy 67 g 540 8.0
3. Julie Nill 85 g 497 5.8
4. Katie Houlehan 115 g 490 4.3
5. Laurie Smith 123 g 474 fg 3.9
6. Darci Haas 106 g 418 fg 3.9
7. Meredith Wilcox 104 g 401 fg 3.9
8. Lauren Powers 103 g 379 fg 3.7
9. Alysa Klein 97 g 378 fg 3.9
10. Liz Daney 99 g 376 fg 3.8
Morris From Three
Chazny Morris set a freshman record last season, nailing 37 of 84 attempts from three-point range, a 44.0 percent mark, also good for the third-best all-time single-season mark, just three tenths of a percent behind Veda McNeal.
Although Morris hasn't hit at a torrid pace to start the season, she sits just shy of the top five with a .367 success mark.
1. Eve Barry 28-61 .459
2. Broda Dickerson 31-73 .425
3. Julie Jenson 98-232 .422
4. Kelly Walden 95-243 .391
5. Veda McNeal 174-452 .385
6. Chazny Morris 55-150 .367
Wimberly Out
After starting the first six games of the season for UMKC, Heather Wimberly has missed the last four games due to an injury.
Debuting With Panache
Freshman Sarah Stewart made her collegiate debut against Kansas looking like anything but a true freshman. Entering the game with just under four minutes left in the first half, she scored eight points, hitting three of her first four shots. She finished the night with a team-best 14 points, adding two rebounds.
Seward County Connections
With her success as a player at Seward County (Kan.) Community College, it is only reasonable that head coach Candace White-Whitaker would look close to home on the recruiting trail. Senior Sierra Radke and junior Taushelle Rushing both come to the Kangaroos following successful careers with the Lady Saints.
Youth Is Served
Sophomore Chazny Morris made an immediate impact after winning a spot in the starting rotation a third of the way through the 2006-07 season. She finished the year averaging 8.9 pts/gm, good for third on the team and enough to earn a spot on the all-Newcomer team and win the 2007 Mid-Con Newcomer of the Year award - marking the second consecutive season that a Kangaroo laid claim to the honor. She finished with a .440 mark from beyond the arc, the best-ever single-season freshman (and third-best overall) mark in program history.
After capping her season with a 21-point performance against in the Mid-Con Tournament, Morris looks to grow into a leadership role as an underclassman this year for the Kangaroos.
Youth Is Served Again...
Currently the youngest head coach at the Division I level, Candace White-Whitaker is also one of the youngest head coaches in recent women's basketball history. At the time of her appointment as the interim head coach last year, White-Whitaker was just 26 years, 239 days old.
She comes from a strong background of young coaches, as her mentor at Valparaiso, Keith Freeman, made his entry into the profession at the tender age of 19. Freeman helmed the women's basketball team at Huntington (Ind.) College during the 1983-84 season.
Although impressive, White-Whitaker isn't even the youngest head coach at her own institution. That honor belongs to Meredith Smith, head softball coach, who
was a mere 25 years, 166 days old at the time of her appointment.
UMKC has a history of taking a chance on young coaches, as no fewer than nine coaches have been appointed before their 30th birthday. Angela Garbe was the youngest, taking the reins of the women's tennis team in September 1991 at the age of 22 years, 264 days.
Texas Home Cooking
In addition to his local ties - he served as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri from 1998 to 2000 - associate head coach Brett Schneider claims the same hometown as head coach Candace White-Whitaker. A strong recruiter, Schneider has a strong family background in basketball, as his father Bob claimed over 1,000 victories over a 43-year career. His brother, Brandon, currently serves as head women's basketball coach for Emporia State University, while his sister, Brooke, was a letterwinner at West Texas A&M.
Klein, Morris Tabbed As Preseason All-Summit Stars
UMKC landed two players on all-conference teams during the preseason polling of coaches, media and sports information directors in The Summit League. Alysa Klein was tabbed as a first team honoree, while Chazny Morris was named to the second team.
The Kangaroos fell two spots in this year's preseason rankings, as they were predicted to finish seventh out of the league's 10 teams. Oral Roberts was again selected as the preseason favorite despite garnering only 10 first-place votes to 14 for debutantes South Dakota State University.
Kangaroos Add Two During Early Signing Period
UMKC head coach Candace White-Whitaker announced two additions to the Kangaroo roster for the 2008-09 season during the early signing period. Heather Davis and Mariah Davis (no relation) will both continue their playing careers and education at UMKC.
Heather Davis, a 5-7 guard from Muskogee, Okla., earned preseason second-team all-state honors from Oklahoma Tipoff magazine this year, following up on a second-team all-conference season as a junior.
Mariah Davis, a 6-0 forward from Hercules, Calif., averaged a double-double (13.5 pts, 10.4 reb) last season for Hercules High School, adding 94 blocks, 31 assists and 29 steals to pace her team to a second-place finish in the North Coast Section Division III tournament. Davis was tabbed as a first team all-league selection as well as earning all-tournament team honors at the River City Classic.
Kangaroo Recruiting Class Ranked 38th In The Nation
UMKC's 2007 recruiting class was ranked the 38th-best in the nation by the Dan Olson Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. This is the first time that a UMKC women's basketball recruiting class has been recognized by a national publication.
Kangaroos On The Web
New for the 2007-08 season, fans can now watch all of the action of UMKC women's basketball via Summit TV. All of UMKC's non-conference home games as well as every game of the inaugural season in The Summit League will stream live through the World Wide Web as part of the Summit TV package. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.thesummitleague.org and click on the “Summit TV” icon. A full-season package is just $49.95, with individual game purchases also available. As part of the full-season package, fans will also have access to “On-Demand” games, allowing fans to watch any game from the 2007-08 season.
Reaching For New Heights
The 2007-08 season marks the first for The Summit League, formerly known as the Mid-Continent Conference. The name change is part of a larger initiative, called The Summit Plan, launched by the league's President's Council in June 2007. The initiative looks to improve the overall athletic image of the conference and bring a more intense focus to the overall welfare of the student-athletes at the member institutions.
In addition to the name change, the league welcomes three new schools to the mix for the 2007-08 season. IPFW, North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University join the conference to push its ranks to 10. Valparaiso, a founding member of the conference, departed for the Horizon League at the conclusion of the 2006-07 academic year.
