UMKC Wraps Up Road Swing At Northern Colorado On Wednesday
12/18/2007 5:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
UMKC is looking to put the wraps on a four-game road swing Wednesday night, taking on Northern Colorado on Wednesday night. Tipoff for the contest is set for 8:05 p.m. from the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion in Greeley, Colo. The Kangaroos hope to usher 2007 out the door on an up note and snap a three-game losing streak in the process. Live video streaming for the game is available - for a fee - at www.bigskytv.org, with free live audio available at www.1310kfka.com.
By The Numbers
Although Northern Colorado holds a bit better shooting percentage overall than UMKC, the Kangaroos have averaged nearly four points more per game than the Bears on the campaign. UMKC has been a bit more helpful on the offensive end as well, dishing out 13.5 assists per game to just 12.2 for UNC. Although UMKC averages about three more turnovers per game than its opponent, the Kangaroos also swipe early four more steals per game. The Bears hold a slight edge on the boards and have held their opponents to just 61.4 pts/gm, whereas the Kangaroos have allowed 68.0 pts/gm.
About The Bears
The Bears will be led on Wednesday night by Paige Sauer, who has assumed the head coaching duties on an interim basis while Jaime White is on a leave of absence. A 2000 graduate of the University of Connecticut, Sauer has compiled a 1-2 record thus far, dropping a close result at Air Force in her debut.
The Bears suffered a huge offensive loss in that contest, as Whitley Cox sustained a season-ending injury, after averaging better than 20 points per game. Courtney Stoermer and Kate Kevorken have picked up some of the slack for the Bears, averaging 10.0 and 9.7 points per contest respectively. Danielle Hagen averages 10 rebounds per game to lead Northern Colorado, chipping in 8.6 pts/gm as well.
Last Time Out For The Kangaroos
UMKC continued its four-game road swing on Saturday afternoon, visiting Missouri. The Kangaroos fought back from an 18-point halftime deficit to force overtime, but couldn't finish the comeback as they fell 75-73 to the Tigers.
The Kangaroos stumbled out of the gate, coughing the ball up 10 times and missing their first eight efforts from the floor as Missouri ran out to a 18-0 lead.
Sierra Radke finally cracked the goose egg for UMKC, dropping in a layup with 11:03 left in the half. She would add a second bucket to go with layups by Alysa Klein and Taushelle Rushing as UMKC dashed to a 8-2 spurt, pulling back to within a 20-8 margin with 9:31 left.
Missouri answered four points, but a three-pointer by Sarah Stewart and a layup on the break pulled UMKC within 11 with 8:05 left.
UMKC couldn't pull any closer, however, trailing 38-20 as the teams went into the locker rooms at the half.
Coming out of the locker room, UMKC looked re-invigorated, whittling the Missouri lead down to eight. Chazny Morris converted a four-point play with 6:40 left, draining a triple and tacking on one as she was fouled on her attempt. Klein converted one of her two trips to the line to pull UMKC within 53-45 with just under six minutes left.
Missouri fired back, extending the margin to 13 with 3:44 left, but the Kangaroos clawed back, draining three of their four attempts from long range.
It would be the most unlikely of clutch players that would make the difference for UMKC, however. After UMKC was forced to foul Missouri with seven seconds left on the clock, Shakara Jones made both to leave the Kangaroos within striking distance. Tarah Cullen - who had just checked into the game for UMKC - drew contact on her three-point effort as the clock expired. She calmly sank all three charity tosses to send the game into overtime.
The Kangaroos struck first in the extra frame, as Stewart canned a triple with 3:20 left, but UMKC couldn't pull out the clutch a second time, falling 75-73 to the Tigers.
Four players finished in double figures for UMKC, led by Radke's 15 points. Klein chipped in 14, with Stewart adding 12 and Morris 10. The Kangaroos also won the rebounding battle 46-39, with Radke leading the team with eight.
Missourl also had four players hit double digits, led by Alyssa Hollins' 21-point outburst. Jones finished with a double-double on the afternoon, grabbing 10 rebounds to go with 17 points.
Both teams finished with 25 field goals on the afternoon, but UMKC was more proficient from three-point range, hitting at a 45 percent (9-20) clip to a 25 percent (6-24) success rate for Missouri. The Tigers atoned at the charity stripe, however, hitting 19 of 30 attempts to just 14 of 22 for UMKC.
Going The (Extra) Distance...
UMKC certainly had to like its chances going into the extra frame on Saturday, as the Kangaroos have had considerable success in overtime in recent history.
They were victorious in extra time on two consecutive season-ending trips to Western Illinois, also picking up an overtime win over IUPUI in 2007. The last time the Kangaroos were defeated in overtime came during the 2003-04 season, as Dana Eikenberg's squad dropped a result at West Virginia. UMKC is 9-14 all time in overtime contests, with Western Illinois and Oral Roberts the most likely foes. The Kangaroos hold a 3-0 record in extra frames against the Westerwinds and just a 1-3 record against the Golden Eagles.
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.
The Enemy Of My Enemy
UMKC and Northern Colorado have shared three common enemies thus far on the 2007-08 slate - San Francisco, Colorado State and Air Force. Fans looking to use “scoreboard syllogisms” to predict Wednesday's result will be stymied. Both teams downed Colorado State, and even though UMKC fell to San Francisco - who was downed by Northern Colorado - the Bears fell to Air Force - whom the Kangaroos bested by a 65-59 count.
Additionally, Northern Colorado squared off against Oral Roberts earlier this season, falling by an 83-56 margin.
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 its range from long range. Although the Kangaroos picked it up against Missouri, they are still shooting well below last season's rate, hitting just 53 of 192 attempts for a 27.6 percent clip. Ironically, though, success has been a harbinger of doom for UMKC, as the Kangaroos have lost three of the four contests that saw them shoot at a higher three-point rate than their opponents.
Milestones In Sight
Alysa Klein is approaching the 100-game milestone, although she still sits six games short of reaching the top ten list for career games played, as Meredith Wilcox rounds out that slate with 104 appearances.
What A Difference A Year Makes
Although UMKC hasn't enjoyed the same kinds of success statistically through the first 11 games this season as it enjoyed last year, the tradeoff isn't as painful as it could be. The Kangaroos have compiled a 5-6 overall record this season, averaging 65.5 points per contest - compared to last season's 2-9 record and 61.2 pts/gm mark.
Short But Sweet
After missing the entirety of her first season at UMKC with a knee injury, Tarah Cullen has been struggling to get fully healthy and make a mark in the lineup. The redshirt sophomore picked a spectacular time to do just that at Missouri, as she checked into the game with just seven seconds left on the clock, as UMKC filled its lineup with three-point specialists. With 1.1 ticks left on the clock, she was fouled, sinking all three efforts from the line coolly to send the game to overtime.
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
Against Missouri, UMKC dropped a result in which they scored 70 points or more for the first time this season, finishing on 73 points for the third time this year. UMKC is 4-1 when cresting the 70-point plateau, including one time better than 80 points - an 80-68 win over Texas State). The Kangaroos downed Central Arkansas by a 73-63 count and bested Saint Louis by a 73-70 margin.
On the flip side, UMKC has lost three of the four contests that have seen its opponents score 70 points or more. The aforementioned win over Saint Louis marks the only time UMKC has allowed 70 points in a win. The Kangaroos have not allowed an opponent to score 80 points on the year, although opponents have hit 78 twice (at San Francisco, at Oakland) thus far.
50 Ain't Nifty
On the lower 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 the Kangaroos 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 2.9 steals per game and is currently on pace to finish with 87, 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 10 of UMKC's first 11 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 six 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 40 rejections on the short season, second only to newcomers North Dakota State. The Bison have averaged just short of three blocks more per game than UMKC on the year, although the Kangaroos have played two more contests.
Individually, Alysa Klein has recorded the third-highest block total (19) behind IUPUI's Julia Whitted and NDSU's Jerri Penley.
Chazny Morris (#2 scoring - 17.5/gm), Sierra Radke (#8 assists - 3.27/gm, #2 ft% - .851) and Taushelle Rushing (#2 steals - 2.73/gm) are also among the top ten individuals in The Summit League.
All For The Best
Sierra Radke has gone the distance in two games for UMKC this season, playing all 40 minutes against Saint Louis and all 45 minutes in Saturday's loss to Missouri. She set new career bests in all but two categories against Saint Louis, following that up with new career-best shooting, scoring and rebounding marks at Missouri.
Seeing Double
UMKC has two players who are averaging double figures for the Kangaroos this season, led by Chazny Morris' 17.5 points per game. The sophomore has scored in double figures in 10 of the 11 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. Radke missed her second of the season, pulling down eight rebounds against Missouri. Klein fell just short of a more ignominious double-double against Missouri, scoring 14 points but coughing up the ball nine times on the afternoon.
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 149-148 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 155 b 98 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 569 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 569 r 98 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. She now sits in eighth place all-time, with 384 field goals in 98 contests. Meredith Wilcox is the next target on Klein's radar, as the senior needs just 17 makes to surpass Wilcox.
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. Alysa Klein 98 g 384 fg 3.9
9. Lauren Powers 103 g 379 fg 3.7
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.
Morris has struggled from distance this season, slipping from the top five, but has increased her scoring average despite a falling shooting clip.
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 56-156 .359
Wimberly Out
After starting the first six games of the season for UMKC, Heather Wimberly has missed the last five 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.
