UMKC Faces Western Illinois In Summit League Contest
1/2/2009 6:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kansas City, Mo. -- UMKC reengages in Summit League play tomorrow afternoon in Macomb, Ill., facing the Western Illinois Westerwinds. The matchup between the two takes place Jan. 3 at 4:30 p.m. inside Western Hall.
UMKC is currently 6-7 on the season and 1-1 in league play. The Kangaroos are coming off of a successful game against Central Missouri. UMKC led for a majority of the game against the Jennies and pulled away for a 67-53 win. The Kangaroos were led by Chazny Morris with 22 points and Kalei Nance who finished with 10 points.
Western Illinois is 5-7 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. Amanda Walker leads the Westerwinds and is averaging 11.7 points per game. Ashley Lord leads Western Illinois on the boards with a 10.5 average.
Eldridge Gets Back Into the Groove
Brianna Eldridge got off to a great start in her freshman season but had to sit out following her debut against Iowa State due to an ankle injury. Eldridge started to chalk up some minutes following the Cal Poly Tournament and is beginning to get back into her game.
Evidence of that can be shown from her recent performance in the 67-53 win over Central Missouri. The Stillwell, Kan., native scored a career high nine points and grabbed eight rebounds. She also logged in a career high 37 minutes against the Jennies.
UMKC in The Summit League
The Kangaroos got a taste early on about what to expect from Summit League opponents, hosing IPFW and Oakland in early December. UMKC broke even, defeating the Mastodons 64-60 but then dropped a 82-70 decision to Oakland.
So far in league play, Morris leads UMKC with 16.5 points and nine rebounds averaged in the two games. In post action, Jade Tinner has performed well in The Summit League with 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
Thomas Records Top Performance at Air Force
LeAndrea Thomas recorded another big game for the Kangaroos going 13-of-18 from the free throw line in the 64-59 win over Air Force. Thomas finished the day with 20 points for a new career-high. The freshman's last big game was against IPFW, where she scored 11 points in her first Summit League game.
Morris Records Back-to-Back Double-Doubles
Chazny Morris set a goal at the beginning of the year to improve on her game from last year and post more double-doubles. So far this season, Morris has recorded three double-doubles compared to her one in the 2007-08 season. Morris is currently on a roll, posting back-to-back double-doubles during the Colorado trip. She scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds against Colorado and 18 points and 10 rebounds against Air Force.
