Kangaroos Look To Snap Four-Game League Slide Saturday Against Southern Utah
1/11/2008 1:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Wrapping up a four-game home stand, UMKC finds itself in an unfamiliar position in the bottom of The Summit League standings. The Kangaroos host Southern Utah on Saturday looking to snap a two-game losing streak and a four-game league slide. Tipoff for the game, the first of a doubleheader with the UMKC men, is set for 4:05 p.m. from Municipal Auditorium. The game will be broadcast live on Metro Sports in the Kansas City area, with Neil Harwell and Doug Elstun on the call.
About The Thunderbirds
In his second year at the helm,
Steve Hodson has compiled a 12-32 at his alma mater, returning for his
second coaching stint at Southern Utah. After wrapping up his playing
career at Southern Utah by leading the Thunderbirds to their only NAIA
National Tournament appearance, he began his coaching career as an
assistant coach at Cedar HS, eventually returning to Southern Utah as
an assistant men's basketball coach - from 1987-1991.
Anne Westwood is the key to the Thunderbird offense, as she averages 12.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. The senior has handed out 23 assists on the campaign as well, good for second-best on the team. Challis Pascucci is also solid in the post for the Thunderbirds, turning away 17 blocks on the year and pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game. Kaila Goff has handed out a team-high 34 assists from the guard position, but her 70 turnovers have seen her fall out of favor recently.
By The Numbers
Statistically, UMKC is a better squad across the board than Southern Utah. The Kangaroos outshoot the Thunderbirds by nearly five percent and outscore them by just better than 12 points per contest. UMKC grabs better than four more steals and hands out better than five more assists per game as well. The Kangaroos are also better on the defensive end, holding their opponents to nearly seven fewer points per game. Southern Utah is better at the charity stripe, however, hitting at 72.0 percent on the year to UMKC's 66.1 percent mark.
fg% 3fg% ft% reb. ast to blk stl pts o pts o fg%
SUU .356 .251 .720 35.7 9.5 21.1 2.9 5.0 52.4 70.1 .424
UMKC .400 .281 .661 38.1 14.8 19.7 4.1 9.2 64.5 63.7 .386
Last Time Out For The Kangaroos
Looking to snap back from its first home loss of the season, UMKC hosted IUPUI at Swinney Recreation Center on Monday night. The Kangaroos built a nine-point lead through the first 10 minutes of the second half but fell to the Jaguars 56-51.
UMKC darted out to a 6-2 lead courtesy of three straight buckets in the paint. Sierra Radke, Lindsay Fields and Alysa Klein each put away easy buckets inside of the first two minutes.
After a quick start, the Kangaroos ran into a cold spell, missing their next four efforts from the floor and coughing up three turnovers over a five-minute span.
IUPUI rattled off eight unanswered points during the stretch to take a 4-point lead with 14:01 left in the half. But for five misses by the Jaguars over the same span, the Kangaroos could have found themselves in a 16-point hole.
Klein dropped in a layup off the break with 13:15 left in the half to snap UMKC's drought. The Kangaroos clawed back to take a one-point lead, with Sarah Stewart stretching the margin to 19-17 with UMKC's first trey of the game with 5:55 left in the half.
IUPUI fired back with a six-point spurt, but UMKC was able to knot the score at 23-23 with just over a minute left. Neither team would hit over the final minute, going into the locker room tied.
Coming out of the intermission, neither team was able to find a strong pace from the floor, trading the lead back and forth for the first five minutes.
UMKC found its touch first, as Stewart fired up a wide-open trey with 13:14 left in the game to spark a 13-1 UMKC run. Despite IUPUI's full-court press, The freshman drained three triples and handed out an assist during the spurt, seeing the Kangaroos take a 43-34 lead with 9:29 left.
The Kangaroos held on to the lead for the next three minutes but would eventually succumb to IUPUI's high-pressure defense. Back-to-back three-pointers by the Jaguars and two turnovers by Klein allowed the visitors to take a 48-47 lead with 5:44 left in the game.
UMKC had one final chance with nine seconds left on the clock, but Radke got tangled up cutting through traffic in the lane and fell to the floor, turning the ball over. IUPUI converted the fast-break layup for the final margin.
Klein led all scorers in the game with 20 points, falling just shy of a double-double on the night with nine rebounds. Stewart chipped in 14 for the Kangaroos, with Radke handing out eight assists.
Nicole James led IUPUI with 18 points, with Julia Whitted adding 11 and Christina Cunningham chipping in 10. Jernisha Cann grabbed 11 rebounds on the night.
UMKC had a better shooting percentage on the night, hitting 21 of its 48 shots for a 43.8 percent mark to IUPUI's 20-of-56 (35.7 percent) clip. The Jaguars were better from the free throw line, but won the game after forcing UMKC into 12 second-half turnovers. IUPUI converted 17 points off turnovers in the second half to just three for UMKC.
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
Although UMKC has been slowly improving its accuracy from long range this season, they are still several points short of last year's mark. The Kangaroos hit at a 31.6 percent clip through 15 games last season compared to a 28.1 percent rate at the same point this season. They have hit just six fewer treys, however, draining 73 this year to 79 from the 2006-07 squad.
Ironically, success from distance has not been a significant factor for the Kangaroos, as UMKC has dropped three of the six contests that saw it outshoot its opponent and won four of the nine contests where it was the poorer shooter on the evening.
At The Halfway Point
Although their league record is not what the Kangaroos would have hoped for as they pass the halfway point on the campaign, UMKC has posted improvement in several categories over the 2006-07 campaign. Coach White-Whitaker's squad has hit at a slightly better rate from the floor (40.0 percent to 39.4 percent) while improving the offensive output by nearly five points - from 59.7 points last season to 64.5 this year.
A stingier defensive team, UMKC has held its opponents to 63.7 pts/gm, compared to 65.2 pts/gm for last year's team, helping the 2007-08 squad to a 7-8 overall record and a +0.8 scoring margin, compared to a 4-11 mark with a -5.5 point margin on the 2006-07 slate.
Home Sweet Home
Kansas City was a welcome home for UMKC during 2007, as the Kangaroos held a perfect 4-0 record at home through December. January, however, has not been so kind, as UMKC dropped consecutive games at home to Western Illinois and IUPUI after a win over Newman to open the year.
The Kangaroos' record as the visitor is a mirror image, with only two wins to UMKC's credit to go against five losses. UMKC is also 0-1 in neutral site contests on the year, although UMKC was listed as the away team against South Alabama at the USF/odwalla Classic.
Glamourous 30's
Holding Newman to 32 points was an amazing achievement for UMKC, marking the first time since the 2004-05 season that a Kangaroo opponent was held below 40 points and the 18th time during the Kangaroos tenure in Division I. The mark was the third-lowest in the Division I era and sixth best all-time. The most recent result came as UMKC downed IUPUI 76-36 on February 12, 2005.
The 49-point win also marked the fourth-best margin of victory in the Division I era. In each of the three big wins, UMKC victimized Chicago State (109-52 - Feb. 20, 1988; 100-48 - Feb. 20, 1995; 93-43 - Jan. 2, 1999) on three occasions. Chicago State also provided the most feeble offensive output by an opponent in the Division I era in a 56-25 loss on Jan. 6, 2000.
Going back to the NAIA era, the defensive showing is the sixth-lowest score for an opponent, but only the 18th-best margin of victory. In-town foe Park put up remarkably little opposition in a 101-19 win for UMKC on Dec. 11, 1981.
That 70's Show
Against Missouri, UMKC dropped a result in which they scored 70 points or more for the only 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 six contests where they ended the evening with fewer than 59 points. It has been kind on the defensive end, however, as UMKC has only lost one contest in which its opponent failed to score at least 59 points - vs. IUPUI.
Going The (Extra) Distance...
UMKC certainly had to like its chances going into the extra frame at Missouri, 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. Prior to this season, 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 frequent 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 last time UMKC was not scheduled to play a game during the holiday break was on the 2004-05 campaign, Bo Overton's first season in charge. The Kangaroos finished that season with a Championship run, becoming the first UMKC squad to play for a conference title in basketball.
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.
In The Down Low
Marta Waalen has worked her way into the starting lineup with a solid shooting performance on the campaign. She leads the Kangaroos on the campaign with a .535 shooting percentage from the floor. UMKC's other starting post player, Alysa Klein, is second with a .488 mark.
Half's Fine, Thanks...
UMKC's loss against Western Illinois marked just the second time all season that the halftime result didn't stand up, as the Kangaroos fell after leading by two going into the break. UMKC has been the halftime leader in six of its seven wins this season and has trailed in six of its seven losses. In games that have seen a tie going into the locker room at half, the Kangaroos have split the spoils, winning against Texas State and dropping a contest against IUPUI.
Reaching For The Summit Of The Summit
After leading the league in blocks last season, UMKC has fallen off the pace slightly but is still second-best in the league with a 4.13 blk/gm average. Newcomers North Dakota State have done quite well, swatting 92 on the campaign. UMKC has rejected nine more shots than third-place Oakland, although the Golden Grizzlies have played one fewer game. The Kangaroos have also been the second-most stingy defensive squad, holding their opponents to a 38.6 percent shooting mark behind Oakland's 37.5 percent clip.
Individually, several Kangaroos are in the top 10 of the ranks, led by Sierra Radke (#2 ft% - 85.7 percent, #4 ast - 4.53/gm). Alysa Klein has the third-best block mark in the league, with 1.93 per contest to go with her seventh-best scoring mark (13.5 pts/gm) and eighth-best shooting percentage (48.8 percent). Chazny Morris still holds down the fourth-best scoring average in the league with 17.4 pts/gm.
Best In The Association
Through January 6, 2008, Sierra Radke's 85.7 conversion rate from the free throw line ranks among the top 50 women's basketball players in Division I. Radke is tied with five players for the 41st-best mark in the country. The top hitter of Radke's cohort is Crystal Kelly of Western Kentucky, who has hit 120 of 140 chances from the charity stripe.
Another Crystal from Kentucky tops the list, as Crystal Jones has missed just two of her 38 chances from the stripe en route to a 94.7 percent mark.
All For The Best
Sierra Radke has gone the distance in four games for UMKC this season. She played all 40 minutes against Saint Louis, following it up with back-to-back full games - 45 minutes at Missouri and 40 at Northern Colorado. She also played the full 40 against IUPUI. 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' 17.4 points per game. The sophomore has scored in double figures in 11 of her 12 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 wasn't 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 gets 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.
Although it's not a regularly-tracked statistical category, Alysa Klein leads the Kangaroos in near misses of the double-double mark this year, with six. Klein has recorded double-digit marks in either scoring or rebounding in all but two games this season, but hasn't found the mark in both categories yet. The senior has finished just shy of the mark in three consecutive games, coming away with eight rebounds for the third time this season against Newman, followed by nine boards against Western Illinois and IUPUI. The sixth near miss was of the ignominious variety, as Klein scored 14 points at Missouri but coughed up the ball nine times on the afternoon. Chazny Morris has three near misses (24 p, 8 r at Cent. Ark.; 11 p, 9 r vs. Air Force; 30 p, 8 r vs. Texas State) with Radke and Marta Waalen each with one.
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
