UMKC To Close Out 2008 Against IUPUI In The Jungle On Wednesday
12/29/2008 8:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will play its final game of 2008 on Wednesday afternoon in Indianapolis against IUPUI. The Kangaroos and Jaguars will meet in The Jungle beginning at 12 p.m. (CST) on New Year's Eve.
On The Air
Wednesday's game will be aired on 1510 AM with the “Voice of the Kangaroos” Steven Davis calling the play-by-play with Nick McCabe serving as the color commentator. Davis is the son of long-time Kansas and Royals play-by-play announcer Bob Davis, while McCabe is the Director of Operations at Union Broadcasting.
Last Game
The Kangaroos rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to take a 50-49 lead early in the second half, but SIU Edwardsville quickly regained the lead on a Aaron Garriott three-pointer before using a 14-4 run to build a 66-57 with 6:03 remaining. UMKC managed to get to within a field goal twice in the final three minutes, but it couldn't get over the hump in the 77-71 defeat.
Game Notes
- Senior Dane Brumagin scored 17 of the team's first 19 points to start the second half in helping the Kangaroos erase a seven point halftime deficit. The forward finished with a season-high 34 points in the game.
- UMKC finished with 11 steals, which was one shy of tying the season-high. It was the third game this season that the team has had at least 10 steals.
- The Kangaroos had just 10 turnovers against the Cougars. It was the fifth game this season that the team has had 10 or fewer turnovers.
- SIUE shot a blistering 66 percent (31-47) from the floor and .500 (4-8) from long range in the game. The Cougars were also a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.
Scouting IUPUI
The Jaguars enter Wednesday's game with a 7-5 overall record (4-1 at home) after dropping a 64-57 decision at UMASS on Dec. 27. Freshman Alex Young led the team with 19 points on 8-of-21 shooting in the defeat.
IUPUI has a pair of players averaging in double digits and a total of five players averaging at least 8.6 points per game. Young is leading the team with a 15.3 per game average, while fellow newcomer Robert Glenn is scoring 10.3 per night. Preseason Second Team all-League selection Gary Patterson is adding 9.7 points, while forward Jon Avery is chipping in 9.4 to go along with 6.7 rebounds.
The Jaguars are averaging 66.1 points per game on the strength of a .476 field goal percentage. The squad, however, is struggling from long range, as it is connecting on 31.5 percent of its three-point attempts. IUPUI is +5.4 in its rebounding margin (34.7-29.3) and it is virtually even in assists-to-turnovers (164-163) on the year.
IUPUI Game Notes
- UMKC is 5-5 all-time in games played at The Jungle in Indianapolis.
- The Jaguars opened Summit League play on Dec. 6 with a 10-point (58-48) home loss to Western Illinois. The loss ended IUPUI's 19-game home winning streak.
- Jaguar Head Coach Ron Hunter was named an ABC World News ?Person of the Year' and the IBJ Indiana Sportsperson of the Year. Hunter received the honor after raising shoes for Samaritan's Feet during the 2007-08 season.
- IUPUI has some solid wins and “good losses” this season. The squad won at Seton Hall (67-65) on Dec. 20 after dropping a heartbreaking 59-58 overtime decision against No. 20/18 Arizona State on Dec. 14 in Phoenix.
Brumagin Named Summit League Player of the Week
Senior Dane Brumagin was named The Summit League Player of the Week on Dec. 29 after averaging 30.0 points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists in a pair of games for the Kangaroos last week. The forward opened the week with a 26-point scoring output against UTSA on a 9-of-19 night from the floor. The Montgomery City, Mo., native then followed up his performance with a season-high 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting against SIU Edwardsville.
Brumagin is the second consecutive Kangaroo player to earn Summit League honors, as Spencer Johnson received the accolade on Dec. 22.
Johnson Named Summit League Player of the Week on Dec. 22
Sophomore Spencer Johnson became the first UMKC player to earn Summit League Player of the Week honors on Dec. 22 after he posted a pair of double-doubles in a pair games at Northwestern and at Eastern Washington. The forward opened with a 22-point, 12-rebound performance at Northwestern. Three nights later, Johnson posted a career-high 23 points to go along with 11 rebounds in the road win at Eastern Washington.
Brumagin Goes Off For 34 Against SIUE
Senior Dane Brumagin scored a season-high 34 points on Sunday afternoon against SIU Edwardsville after making 12-of-19 shot attempts, which included a 3-of-5 performance from long range. The 34-point game is the fourth 30-point game of Brumagin's career, and it is the third highest scoring output of his career.
The performance came on the heels of a 26-point scoring output against UTSA on Dec. 22. In the contest, the forward made 9-of-19 field goals, three of which were three-pointers.
Brumagin has now scored in double figures in 51 games in his Kangaroo career, which includes 21 games with 20 or more points.
On the year, the Montgomery City, Mo., native is leading the team and is fourth in The Summit League with an 18.3 scoring average on .450 (94-209) shooting, .382 (39-102) from long range and .828 (48-58) from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in 13-of-15 games, while hitting the 20-point mark in five contests.
Brumagin Moves Into Sixth Place In Career Scoring
Senior Dane Brumagin moved past David Robinson into sixth place in the UMKC record books in career scoring with his 34-point performance against SIU Edwardsville on Dec. 28. The forward now has 1,222 career points, which is 182 points behind Quinton Day (1,404) for fifth place all-time.
Brumagin became just the ninth player in school history to reach the 1,000-point milestone on Nov. 24 against Bradley. The forward hit the mark on a fast break dunk at the 1:46 mark of the first half.
Johnson Returns To Double Digits
Sophomore Spencer Johnson returned to double digits when he netted 14 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds against SIU Edwardsville on Sunday. The forward made 7-of-13 shot attempts in the contest.
Johnson has been UMKC's most consistent post player this season, as he's scored in double digits in a total of eight games on the year. During a five-game stretch from Dec. 4 to Dec. 18, the Illinois native led the nation with five straight double-doubles, where he averaged 18.2 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.
On the year, Johnson is third on the team with an 11.9 scoring average to go along with a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the league. He is also second in the league with 2.9 offensive rebounds per game. The forward has been a beast on the boards for the ?Roos as he's led the team in rebounding in 12 of the 15 games.
UMKC's 2008-09 Double-Doubles
Dane Brumagin
29 points/10 rebounds - vs. Oakland (12/4)
Spencer Johnson
20 points/13 rebounds - vs. Oakland (12/4)
12 points/10 rebounds - vs. IPFW (12/6)
14 points/14 rebounds - at Loyola (Ill.) - 12/13
22 points/12 rebounds - at Northwestern - 12/15
23 points/11 rebounds - at Eastern Washington - 12/18
Lewis Steps Into Starting Backcourt
Sophomore Bakari Lewis has given the UMKC backcourt a nice lift since becoming eligible on Dec. 13. The Nicholls State transfer has been among the starting five in each of the last three games, where he's averaged eight points and 4.3 assists per game. In his second career game, Lewis had a superb showing, as he finished with 14 points and eight assists in the road win over Eastern Washington.
Master Thief
Senior Dane Brumagin has tallied at least two steals in seven of the last nine games for the Kangaroos. The Missouri native has a total of 27 steals or 1.8 per game on the season, which ranks third in The Summit League.
Brumagin Named A Semifinalist For The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Dane Brumagin has been named to the initial list of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The award, given annually to senior student-athletes across nine NCAA Division I sports, has become one of the most prestigious honors in college athletics and is sponsored by Lowe's, an Official Corporate Partner of the NCAA. Based on criteria focusing on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition, the award winners will be selected by national balloting of head basketball coaches, national media and college basketball fans.
The 2008 candidates on the men's sides includes student-athletes from 27 different schools from around the country representing 14 conferences. Brumagin is the lone representative from The Summit League.
UMKC Surpasses 2007-08 Road Win Total
The Kangaroos surpassed their 2007-08 road win total when they defeated Eastern Washington on Dec. 18 in Cheney. The squad is 3-4 on the road this season. Last year, UMKC went 2-13 in games away from Kansas City.
The Kangaroos picked up their first road victory at Wichita State on Nov. 19. The win was the program's first win in Wichita and the first road victory against a Missouri Valley Conference opponent. The win over WSU was also the largest crowd (10,282) that UMKC has won in front of since the squad topped Oral Roberts in from of 10,331 fans at the Mabee Center during the 2004-05 season.
Closing Out On The 3's
UMKC has been contesting the three-point shots through the early portion of the schedule. The Kangaroos are third in the league in allowing its opposition to shoot 30.1 percent (80-266) from three-point range. UMKC has held its opponents under 30 percent from three-point land in a total of nine games on the year. In the NCAA statistical rankings on Dec. 15, the Kangaroos ranked 35th in the nation in three-point field goal defense (.285).
Etching Their Name In The Record Books
Sophomores Reggie Hamilton and James Humphrey have both etched their names in the single game record books this season. Hamilton finished with five steals against Florida on Nov. 30, which are tied for the third most in a single game in school history. Humphrey, meanwhile, swatted five shots in the win over IPFW. The five blocks are also tied for the third most in a single game in school history.
Getting Others Involved
Sophomore Reggie Hamilton registered his third game this season with seven or more assists when he tallied eight in the loss at Northwestern on Dec. 15. The guard has six games this season with five or more assists, which included a career-best nine helpers against Oakland on Dec 4. Hamilton currently ranks third in The Summit League with 4.6 assists per game.
Hamilton Shines In Florida
Sophomore Reggie Hamilton had a superb five-game stretch during UMKC's trip to the state of Florida from Nov. 22-30. The guard hit the 20-point mark in four of the team's five games, and he averaged 19.4 points on .493 (34-69) shooting from the floor and .483 (14-29) from long range. Hamilton also averaged 5.6 assists and 2.6 steals for the Kangaroos.
Hamilton was the first Kangaroo player since Michael Watson to score 20 or more points in four straight games. Watson had two different six-game streaks during the 2003-04 season.
On the year, Hamilton is second on the team with a 13.6 scoring average. The Harvey, Ill., native has reached double figures in 11-of-15 games this season, and in five of those contests, the guard finished with at least 20 points.
Reggie Halfway To Milestone
Sophomore Reggie Hamilton scored his 500th career point when he finished with 10 points in the game against nationally-ranked Florida on Nov. 30. The guard now has 566 points in Blue and Gold, which puts him in 29th place in the record books.
Mushatt Hitting The Glass
Freshman Latreze Mushatt has been one of UMKC's top rebounders this season. The Michigan native is second on the team with 5.9 boards per game, and he has grabbed at least eight rebounds in a total of six games. In his second career game at nationally-ranked Kansas, Mushatt finished with a career-best 10 rebounds.
Offensively, the forward is fourth on the team with a 8.3 per game scoring average, and he's scored in double figures in five games this season.
Switch-A-Roo
Head Coach Matt Brown has used 10 different starting line-ups over the first 15 games this season. Last season, UMKC used a total of 17 different starting line-ups on the year.
Returners Carry The Load
Through 15 games, the four returning players on the UMKC roster have been carrying the scoring load. Dane Brumagin, Reggie Hamilton, Spencer Johnson and James Humphrey have accounted for 70.8 percent of the team's scoring. The four players have scored 701 of the team's 990 points on the season. In the season opener against North Dakota, the group scored 50 of the squad's 56 points, and in the Dec. 13 game at Loyola (Ill.), the foursome scored 44 of the team's 47 points.
Raining Threes
UMKC has made at least one three-point basket in 260 consecutive regular season or tournament games dating back to January 22, 2000.
Brumagin In The Career Record Books
Free Throw Percentage - 1st - .856 (208-243)
Three-Point Field Goals Made - 3rd - 206
40-point scoring games - t3rd - 1
30-point scoring games - 4th - 4
Three-Point Field Goal Attempts - 4th - 523
Field Goals Attempted - 4th - 968
Points - 6th - 1222
20-point scoring games - 6th - 21
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - 6th - .394 (206-523)
Field Goals Made - 7th - 404
Double Figure Scoring Games - 7th - 51
Games Played - t8th - 105
Minutes - 9th - 2531
Free Throws Made - 9th - 208
Steals - 9th - 107
Rebounds - 12th - 365
