Kangaroos Look To Make It 17 Straight Over Western Illinois On Saturday
1/4/2008 3:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will attempt to run its streak to 17 consecutive wins over Western Illinois when the two teams square off on Saturday night at Municipal Auditorium. The Kangaroos and Leathernecks will play the second game of a WIU-UMKC doubleheader with tip-off set for 7:05 p.m.
On The Air
All UMKC men's basketball games can be heard on Sports Radio 810 WHB AM or 97.3 FM. 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. Former Kangaroo Michael Watson will provide color commentary.
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.umkckangaroos.com
A Look At Western Illinois
Western Illinois enters Saturday's game with a 5-8 overall record and an 0-2 mark in Summit League play. The Leathernecks dropped a 73-60 decision at Southern Utah on Thursday night. Three players scored in double figures in the defeat with David Jackson pacing the squad with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
Only one WIU player - Jackson with a 12.0 average - is averaging in double figures in scoring this season. Four other Leatherneck players, however, are adding more than 7.8 points per contest. Forward David DuBois, meanwhile, is leading the squad on the boards with a 6.3 average.
The Leathernecks are averaging just 62.5 points per game this season, and they're shooting .401 from the floor and .312 from long range. The team also has 48 more turnovers than assists on the season.
WIU Game Facts
- Western Illinois Head Coach Derek Thomas played high school basketball at Hickman Mills in Kansas City, where he was an all-metro and all-state selection. Thomas also played two seasons at Johnson County Community College, before closing out his career at Missouri-St. Louis.
- Sophomore guard David Nurse, a native of Kearney, Mo., began his collegiate career at UMKC during the 2005-06 season. The guard did not see any regular season action for the Kangaroos before leaving the team. In 2006-07, Nurse played at Kansas City Kansas Community College, where he earned honorable mention all-conference honors, after averaging 17.1 points per game.
- Senior David Jackson became the 17th member of the Western Illinois 1,000-point club on Feb. 22, 2007, in the game against UMKC. The guard currently has 1,189-points in a Leatherneck uniform.
WIU vs. UMKC - The Series
The Kangaroos bring a 16-game winning streak over Western Illinois into Saturday night's match-up. Overall, UMKC holds a 22-9 advantage in the all-time series over the Leathernecks, which includes a 14-1 mark in games played in Kansas City. The last WIU victory in the series came on Feb. 28, 1999, in a 77-71 win at the Mid-Con Tournament.
Last Contest
The UMKC men's basketball team dropped a 77-72 decision to IUPUI on Thursday night at Municipal Auditorium. The Kangaroos led 72-69 with 1:22 remaining, but the Jaguars scored the final eight points to run out five point winners.
Notes From The IUPUI Game
- All 11 players that saw action hit at least one field goal for the Kangaroos. The previous high for the team this season was 10 players on Oct. 6 at Oakland.
- UMKC nearly doubled up the Jaguars in assists, 17-9. The team also forced IUPUI into 18 turnovers, but the Kangaroos committed 15 in the game.
- UMKC made 10 three pointers against the Jags. It was the team's sixth game with 10 or more long balls this season.
- George Hill's 34-point performance is an opponent-high against the Kangaroos this season.
Changing Things Up
Head Coach Matt Brown used his fifth different starting line-up of the season against IUPUI. Brown kept Tim Blackwell, Dane Brumagin and Reggie Hamilton among the starting five, but he replaced Jeremiah Hartsock and Brent Stephens with Brian Gettinger and Akeem Hemingway.
Taking Care Of The Basketball
Prior to committing 15 turnovers against the Jaguars on Thursday night, the Kangaroos had committed 10 or fewer turnovers in the previous four games. With this improvement in taking care of the ball, UMKC now has just four more turnovers than assists (202-198) this season.
Close, But No Cigar
The average margin of defeat for the Kangaroos in the team's last five losses has been 6.8 points (34 total). Two of the losses came in overtime (at OU, vs. UNI), and the other three losses weren't decided until the closing minutes of the contests.
A Second Half Team
The Kangaroos are making it a habit of falling behind early and rallying late. UMKC is being outscored by 97 points in the first half of games this season (542-445). The squad, however, is outscoring its opposition in the final 20 minutes by 33 points (582-549). The Kangaroos are averaging 29.6 points in first halves of games compared to 38.9 points per contest in the second half.
Double Digit Dane
Junior Dane Brumagin was held below double figures for the first time in six games and for just the third time this season on Thursday night against IUPUI. The forward made just 2-of-7 shot attempts in the game, as he finished with six points.
On the year, the Montgomery City, Mo., native has reached double digits in 12-of-15 games, which includes five games with 20 or more points. Brumagin has also been UMKC's high scorer in eight games on the year.
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 on the boards in five of the last six games and in a team-best seven contests on the season. and his 5.2 rebounds per game are tops on the team. Brumagin has finished with eight or more rebounds in three games this season, and he posted a career-high nine boards against Central Arkansas on Dec. 29.
Blackwell Coming On Strong
Senior Tim Blackwell had his streak of five straight games in double digits come to an end on Thursday against IUPUI. The guard finished the contest with nine points on 3-of-10 shooting against the Jaguars.
The Cameron, Mo., native has been one of the team's top offensive weapons over the past half dozen games. During this stretch, he is averaging 15.8 points on .426 (26-61) shooting from the floor and .500 (14-28) shooting from long range. The guard has also been getting to the free throw line frequently, as he's made 29-of-39 attempts.
Balance Is Key
The Kangaroos had four players score in double figures in the victory over Loyola Chicago on Dec. 22. It was the fifth game this season for the team to have at least four players with 10 or more points. On Nov. 24, UMKC had a season-high five players score in double figures in the 90-82 victory over Arkansas Tech.
UMKC now has four players on the year that are averaging 10 points or more per game. Dane Brumagin (18.0), Reggie Hamilton (12.0), Brent Stephens (11.8) and Tim Blackwell (10.4) are all in double figures.
Stephens Leads Team Off The Bench
Coming off the bench for just the second time this season, senior Brent Stephens provided the Kangaroos with a spark on Thursday night against IUPUI. The Jay, Okla., native finished with a team-best 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, and he made 5-of-6 free throws in the contest.
Stephens has scored in double figures in 10-of-15 games this season and in 33 games in his career. He currently is third on the team with an 11.8 scoring average this season.
Getting After It Defensively
The Kangaroos have forced 78 (15.6 p/game) turnovers over the past five games. The squad has also been contesting the three-point shot, as their opponents have made just 28-of-89 of their attempts for a .315 percentage.
Humphrey Back In Action
Freshman James Humphrey saw his first action since the Northern Iowa game on Dec. 19 against IUPUI on Thursday. The forward had missed the previous two games after suffering an ankle injury prior to the contest against Loyola Chicago. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native finished with five points and four rebounds against the Jaguars in 18 minutes of action.
