Men's Basketball Heads To Western Illinois On Thursday Night
1/29/2008 12:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will open up a three-game road trip at Western Illinois on Thursday night in Macomb. The Kangaroos and Leathernecks will battle on Waste Management Court at Western Hall with tip set for 7 p.m.
On The Tube
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on WIU-TV3 in Macomb. Derek Diesner will call the play-by-play, while Quintin Parker will handle the color commentary.
On The Air
All UMKC men's basketball games can be heard on Sports Radio 810 WHB AM. Fans can also hear the games online at www.810whb.com. “The Voice of the Kangaroos” Danny Clinkscale will call the play-by-play action for UMKC for the seventh straight season.
On The Web
Fans can watch all UMKC home games and all league contests live on SummitTV. Fans can access SummitTV through www.umkckangaroos.com or www.thesummitleague.org. More than 275 men's and women's games will be featured as part of the $49.95 annual subscription package.
Live Stats
Fans can follow the action as it happens via live stats at www.wiuathletics.com.
A Look At Western Illinois
The Leathernecks enter Thursday's game with a 9-11 overall record and a 4-5 mark in Summit League play. After winning three straight games from Jan. 5 to Jan. 12, WIU has lost three of its last four contests. Last weekend at home, the team topped IPFW (65-50) before falling to Oakland (71-85) on Jan. 26.
Three Western Illinois players are averaging in double figures on the season. Guard David Jackson is leading the team with a 13.6 scoring average to go along with 45 assists. David Nurse, a Kearney, Mo., native, is second on the team with a 10.6 average, as he's made a team-best 40 three pointers. Forward Jerryck Owens-Murrey has been the team's best option on the block with 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds.
The Leathernecks are averaging 65.9 points, while surrendering 68.7 per contest. The squad is shooting .414 from the floor, .350 from long range and .717 from the charity stripe. WIU is nearly even on the boards on the year (33.8-33.7), but they have 3.1 more turnovers than assists per game.
WIU Game Facts
- The Leathernecks opened their season-long three game winning streak with a 69-62 win in Kansas City on Jan. 5. The squad then topped South Dakota State (75-72) on Jan. 10 before defeating North Dakota State (83-67) on Jan. 12.
- WIU is 7-3 at Western Hall this season despite averaging 587 fans per game. The squad's three home losses came to Texas-Pan American, IUPUI and Oakland.
- Western is third in the league in scoring defense (68.7), field goal percentage defense (.446) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.344) on the season.
WIU vs. UMKC - The Series
Thursday's game will be the 33rd meeting in the all-time series between UMKC and Western Illinois with the Kangaroos holding the 22-10 advantage. The Leathernecks ended UMKC's 16-game winning streak with a 69-62 victory over UMKC on Jan. 5 in Kansas City. The Kangaroos, however, still hold a eight- game winning streak in Macomb dating back to the 2000 season.
First Meeting
The Kangaroos dropped a 69-62 decision to Western Illinois on Jan. 5 at Municipal Auditorium. UMKC fell behind by a game-high 14 points late in the first half before fighting back to even the game at 45 all midway through the second. The Leathernecks, however, quickly regained the advantage on a David DuBois lay-up, and WIU never looked back in the seven-point victory.
Dane Brumagin led the Kangaroos with 21 points in the contest, while Brian Gettinger was the only other UMKC player in double digits with 17. Five Leatherneck players, meanwhile, were in double figures with David Jackson pacing the squad with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Last Contest
The Kangaroos rallied from an eight-point second half deficit to pick up a 76-73 victory over Centenary on Saturday night at Kemper Arena. UMKC played a stellar opening 15 minutes of the game, as it ran out to a 38-19 lead. The Gents, however, closed out the half on a 19-6 run to get to within six at the break, and they used a 14-2 second half run to stretch the lead to eight (68-60). Key three pointers from James Humphrey and Dane Brumagin evened the score at 69, and Tim Blackwell's long ball at the 2:26 mark put the Kangaroos on top for good in the three-point victory.
Notes From The CC Game
- UMKC shot .538 (14-26) from the floor in the first half and .510 (25-49) for the game. The Kangaroos also made 10 three pointers in the contest, and they shot 40 percent from long range in the game.
- UMKC's bench outscored the Gents' reserves, 21-10.
- Freshman James Humphrey matched a career-high with 10 points for the Kangaroos.
Looking For Another Road Victory
The Kangaroos will look to pick up their second road victory of the season on Thursday at Western Illinois. UMKC has had recent success at Western Hall, as it has won the last eight meetings in Macomb. Overall this season, the team is 1-9 on the road with its lone winning coming at South Dakota State on Jan. 17.
UMKC In The National Rankings
The Kangaroos rank 17th in the nation in three-point field goals per game (9.1) and 49th in three-point field goal percentage (.386). UMKC also ranks 38th in the country in free throw percentage with a .737 mark on the year.
Individually, junior Dane Brumagin ranks 27th in the country in both free throw percentage (.868) and three-point field goal percentage (.446).
Brumagin's 40 Is Still Among The Nation's Elite
Junior Dane Brumagin's 40-point scoring output at Oakland on Dec. 6 is still one of just eight 40-point games in the nation and the top scoring game in The Summit League this season. Brumagin's output came in just 28 minutes of court time, as he fouled out prior to the overtime period. Justin Jonas of Troy has the highest point total in the country with a 44-point performance against Paul Quinn on Nov. 14.
Balance Leads To Victories
The Kangaroos had four players score in double figures for the first time since Dec. 22 against Loyola Chicago on Saturday against Centenary. It was the sixth time this season that four or more players finished in double digits. In such contests, UMKC has posted a 4-2 record.
On the year, UMKC has three players that are averaging 10 points or more per game. Dane Brumagin (18.3), Tim Blackwell (10.7) and Reggie Hamilton (10.2) are all averaging in double figures.
Accuracy Counts
UMKC shot better than 50 percent from the field for just the third time this season against Centenary last Saturday. The Kangaroos connected on .510 (25-49) of its field goal attempts in the contest. The last time the squad had accomplished the feat was at UTSA on Nov. 29.
24 And Counting
After missing two of his first three free throws on Jan. 12 against Southern Utah, junior Dane Brumagin has made his last 24 attempts from the charity stripe. The forward made his final six attempts against the T-Birds, six at SDSU, five at NDSU, two vs. ORU and five vs. Centenary.
Switching It Up
The Kangaroos have used 11 different starting line-ups this season. Every player on the roster except Alex Pledger, who is sidelined with an injury, has started at least one game for the team on the year.
Triple Me Up
The Kangaroos finished with 10 three pointers against Centenary last Saturday to give them nine games with 10 or more makes this season. The squad connected on a season-high 16 long balls at Oakland on Dec. 6.
UMKC is averaging 23.7 three point attempts per game this season. The team is connecting on 9.1 of those chances, while shooting .386 from behind the three-point arch.
The team's 201 three point makes and 521 three point attempts are both tops in The Summit League. The Kangaroos are currently on pace to break the school records in three-point makes (267) and attempts (734) this season.
More Minutes = More Production
Junior Kenny Simms has posted career-highs in minutes in each of the past three games, and the center has been turning his PT into production for the Kangaroos. The New Jersey native has been averaging 9.7 points on .579 (11-19) shooting in 22.3 minutes of playing time over the past three contests. He has also been averaging 7.3 rebounds per game for the squad.
Interesting Tidbit
The Kangaroos are known for being a good three-point shooting team this season. In fact, in 11 games, UMKC has finished with a higher three-point field goal percentage than overall field goal percentage.
Double Digit Dane
After scoring a season-low two points on Jan. 20 against Oral Roberts, junior Dane Brumagin finished with 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting against Centenary last Saturday. The forward made 4-of-8 three point attempts and 5-of-5 free throws in the contest.
Brumagin, who has been UMKC's high scorer in 13 games, now has 10 20-point games this season, and he's been in double figures in 18-of-22 contests on the year. For his career, the forward has 32 games in double figures and 14 games with 20 or more points, which is tied for seventh all-time.
The Montgomery City, Mo., native is leading the team with a 18.3 scoring average, which is fifth in the league. In conference games only, the forward is second in The Summit League with 21.9 points per contest.
Brumagin's most prolific games of the season, and his career, came during a two-game stretch in early December when he scored 75 points in two games. The forward netted 40 points at Oakland on Dec. 6 on 12-of-17 shooting, and he followed it up with 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting at IPFW on Dec. 8. As a result, he was named the Mid-Majority Baller of the Week on Dec. 10.
More Than Just A Scorer
Junior Dane Brumagin has not only been UMKC's most consistent scorer this season, but the forward has also been one of the team's top rebounders. The Montgomery City, Mo., native has led the team in a team-best 11 contests on the season and his 5.5 rebounds per game are also tops on the team. Brumagin has finished with eight or more rebounds in six games this season, and he grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds against Southern Utah on Jan. 12.
Blackwell Continues To Score
Senior Tim Blackwell finished with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting in helping guide the Kangaroos to a 76-73 victory over Centenary on Jan. 26. The guard made one of the biggest shots of the game at the two-minute mark of the second half, when he connected on a three pointer to put the Kangaroos on top for good.
On the year, the Cameron, Mo., native has scored in double figures in 10 games and in 40 games in his career. Blackwell also has seven 20-point games in his Kangaroo career.
Blackwell Climbs Career Scoring Chart
Senior Tim Blackwell moved into eighth place in UMKC history with his 18-point performance at North Dakota State on Jan. 19. The Cameron, Mo., native currently has 923 career points in Blue and Gold. Blackwell now needs just 77 points to become the ninth player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau.
Double-Double Dane
It took 18 games, but junior Dane Brumagin recorded UMKC's first double-double of the season on Jan. 12 against Southern Utah. The forward finished with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go along with a career-high 10 rebounds. The double-double is also the first of Brumagin's career, and it is UMKC's first double-double since Brian Gettinger's 18-point and 10-rebound performance against Oakland on Feb. 15, 2007.
