Hot-Shooting First Half Powers UMKC To 61-52 Win Over Northern Colorado

Wednesday, December 19

Greeley, Colo.

8:00 p.m. CT

Kansas City

Northern Colorado

Hot-Shooting First Half Powers UMKC To 61-52 Win Over Northern Colorado

12/20/2007 12:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: UMKC Athletics

Greeley, Colo. -- Looking to snap a three-game losing skid, UMKC headed to Northern Colorado on Wednesday night. The Kangaroos shot better than 50 percent in the first half for the first time this season en route to a 61-52 win.

The game started in a helter-skelter fashion, as each team had two offensive possessions inside the first minute, with Northern Colorado striking first.

After missing on its first three chances and coughing up a turnover, UMKC found its shooting legs. Taushelle Rushing dropped in a layup on the fast break with 17:28 left in the half to spark a 9-0 run that saw the Kangaroos hit four straight and force two turnovers by the Bears.

The Kangaroos' hot hand quickly cooled, however, as they hit just one of three from the floor over the next three minutes to allow Northern Colorado to close to an 11-9 deficit with 12:48 left in the half.

Chazny Morris responded quickly for UMKC, however, hitting a jumper at the 12:17 mark followed by a steal on the ensuing possession. She drained a triple off the steal, sparking a 13-3 UMKC run. Adding an exclamation point to the run, she fed Alysa Klein on the break to give the Kangaroos a 26-12 lead with 5:23 left in the half.

Northern Colorado tried to close, but UMKC took a 31-20 lead into the intermission.

Morris and Klein combined again after the break to push UMKC's cushion to 15, as the sophomore found Klein in the lane for a short jumper with just over a minute elapsed. Klein returned the favor after a shot clock violation, with Morris giving UMKC a 35-20 edge.

The hot-shooting Kangaroos stumbled a bit, unable to find a bucket for the next 4:07 as Northern Colorado pulled to within 10. Sarah Stewart stemmed the bleeding a bit, hitting a jumper with 13:51 left to push UMKC's lead back to 37-26.

Northern Colorado continued to chip away at the UMKC lead, pulling to within seven with 11:07 left in the game, but a Stewart trey and two free throws by Klein pushed the Kangaroo lead back to 44-32.

Three consecutive three-point misses by UMKC allowed the Bears to close the gap to 44-39 before Morris answered with a basket on either side of a Northern Colorado turnover to stretch the lead back to seven with 4:36 left.

Northern Colorado pulled as close as 48-45 with 2:17 left, but UMKC shook off the comeback with clutch free-throw shooting, making nine of their 12 attempts down the stretch.

Klein led all scorers in the game with 19 points, grabbing seven of UMKC's 38 rebounds. Morris chipped in 16, while Marta Waalen added 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds in her second straight start.

Northern Colorado also had three players finish in double figures, with Kate Kevorken ringing up 18 to go with eight of the Bears' 33 rebounds. Danielle Hagen added 11 points and eight boards, with Lizzie Cooper scoring 10.

The Kangaroos finished the night hitting 44.2 percent (23-52) from the floor to a 35.8 percent (19-53) success rate for the Bears. UMKC also dished out 20 assists on the night, just one shy of a season-best mark.

UMKC won't return to action until the new year, hosting Newman University on January 2 at Swinney Recreation Center. Tipoff for the game is set for 6 p.m.