Kansas City
North Dakota State
26-Point Outing By Klein Not Enough For Kangaroo Win
1/19/2008 7:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Fargo, N.D. -- Despite 26 points from Alysa Klein, UMKC fell short in its bid for a second Summit League win on Saturday afternoon. The Kangaroos pulled to within five in the second half but dropped an 80-62 result to North Dakota State.
UMKC got off to a bit of a slow start as North Dakota State opened with five unanswered points in the first minute and a 12-3 run over the first 2:51. The only points for the Kangaroos during the run came from Brittny Picconi, who hit a trey with 18:54 on the clock.
Klein sparked a 10-4 UMKC run with an easy jumper just outside the 17:00 mark. Marta Waalen and Sierra Radke converted back-to-back assists by Heather Wimberly to pull the Kangaroos to within three points, as UMKC trailed 16-13 with 14:02 left.
The Kangaroos' cold shooting touch combined with five turnovers in a five-minute span allowed North Dakota State to pull out to a 12-point lead at 29-17.
UMKC was able to find its shooting touch down the stretch, missing just three attempts from the floor over the final 7:45 to narrow the gap as close as three points. The Bison were able to hit a last-second three-pointer to take a 39-33 lead into the break.
After shooting better than 50 percent in the first half, the Kangaroos stumbled a bit out of the intermission, hitting just one of its first four shots. Klein and Waalen kept the game close, scoring 18 of 19 points for UMKC over the first 12 minutes.
With 5:34 left in the game and UMKC trailing 62-54, the Kangaroos hit a cold spell, hitting just one of four shots over a four-minute span and allowed the Bison to open up a 12-point cushion. Trying to pull back into the game, UMKC couldn't find its range as North Dakota State pulled away.
Klein led all scorers in the game with 26 points on 13-of-29 shooting, grabbing a team-high nine rebounds as well. Chazny Morris added 12 points with Waalen contributing 10 on the afternoon.
Recording her first career double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds, Jerri Penley led four scorers in double figures for North Dakota State with 23 points. Amanda Girodat, Lisa Bue and Brenda Slyt finished with better than 10 points as well.
After out-shooting the Bison in the first half, UMKC trailed off the pace in the second stanza to finish the contest hitting at a 42.6 percent (26-61) pace, while North Dakota State finished with a 52.6 percent (30-57) mark. The Bison also held a slight (34-32) edge on the boards.
UMKC (8-9, 1-5 Summit) continues its road swing through the Dakotas on Monday, taking on South Dakota State at 7 p.m. in Brookings, S.D.
