Men's Hoops Heads To Shreveport To Face Centenary On Saturday
1/23/2009 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday afternoon in Shreveport, La., against Centenary. The Kangaroos and Gents will play the second game of a UMKC-CC doubleheader with the scheduled tip set for 2:30 p.m. The Kangaroo women open the day's action against the Ladies at noon.
On The Air
Saturday's game will be aired on 810 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 dropped an 89-54 road decision at Oral Roberts on Thursday night. UMKC led the contest 17-16 with 13:47 to go in the first half, before the Golden Eagles reeled off a 23-2 run to build a 39-19 advantage. After taking a 13-point lead into the break, ORU pushed its lead back to 20 midway through the second half before cruising to the 35-point victory.
Game Notes
- Freshman walk-on Patrick Inyard made his first appearance in Blue and Gold against the Golden Eagles. The Topeka native played the final minute of the contest.
- Sophomore Reggie Hamilton suited up, but did not play against Oral Roberts. Hamilton is nursing a thumb injury, but was available to compete.
- ORU made a UMKC opponent-high 25 free throws in 31 attempts in the contest. The squad shot .806 from the charity stripe, .556 from the floor and .400 from long range.
Scouting Centenary
After starting the season 2-13, the Gents have won four-of-their-last-five games to improve their record to 6-14 overall and an even 4-4 in Summit League play. Centenary started the streak with a 20-point win over Oakland on Jan. 8 before winning at Western Illinois (47-45), at IUPUI (58-56) and at home over Southern Utah (81-56) on Thursday night. The lone loss came at home to IPFW, 68-64.
The Gents have a pair of players averaging in double digits on the season. Guard Nick Stallings is pacing the team with a 17.0 scoring average, while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and .430 from long range. Stallings is also leading the team with 6.1 boards per contest. Fellow guard Chase Adams is second on the squad with 14.3 points per game to go along with 4.4 assists and 2.4 steals.
Centenary is shooting .389 from the field and .353 from three-point land en route to 61.7 points per game. The squad is -9.5 (39.5-30.5) on the glass and it has 54 more turnovers than assists.
CC Game Notes
- UMKC has won seven-of-the-last-eight meetings in the all-time series over Centenary, but the last five-of-six games have been decided by six points or less. The last meeting - a 10-point UMKC win - went to overtime.
- Guard Nick Stallings is seventh in the league in scoring (17.0), t11th in rebounding (6.0), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.430) and seventh in steals (1.5).
- Guard Chase Adams is leading the league with 2.4 steals and is third in assists with 4.4 per game.
- The Gents lead the league in steals by more than 1.3 per game. The squad has 176 swipes or 8.8 per contest.
UMKC In Close Contests
UMKC suffered its eighth loss in games decided by seven points or less when it dropped a 65-60 overtime decision to North Dakota State on Jan. 17. The Kangaroos are 4-8 in such games this season.
Brumagin In Top-5 In Summit League In Scoring
Senior Dane Brumagin ranks fifth in The Summit League in scoring with a 17.6 per game average. The forward has scored in double digits in seven of the last eight contests and in 18-of-21 games this season. For his career, he has scored in double digits in 56 games and in 23 of those contests he has hit the 20-point mark.
On the year, the Montgomery City, Mo., native has hit the 20-point mark in a total of seven games, which includes a season-high 34 points against SIU-Edwardsville on Dec. 28 in Kansas City.
Hitting At 50 Percent
The Kangaroos finished with a 50 percent field goal percentage (25-50) on Jan. 15 against South Dakota State. It was just the third game this season that the squad has finished at 50 percent or better. UMKC is 3-0 when hitting at least 50 percent of its shot attempts with wins over Wichita State, Bradley and SDSU.
UMKC is....
- 0-11 when allowing 70 or more points this season.
- 6-4 when allowing 69 or fewer points this season.
- 3-2 when it goes into the half with a lead.
- 5-4 when it has a higher field goal percentage than its opponent.
Rough Road Ahead
Things won't get any easier for the Kangaroos down the stretch this season, as six of the team's final 10 games are away from Kansas City. In addition, two of the squad's remaining for home dates will be played in spacious Kemper Arena, where the program is 15-13 all-time.
Dane Quickies
- Senior Dane Brumagin has made at least one long ball in 19-of-21 games this season and in 87-of-111 games in his career.
- Brumagin is the only Kangaroo player to start every game this season. The Missouri native has started 23 straight games dating back to last season.
- In Summit League games, Brumagin is fifth in the league with a 19.0 scoring average. The forward has hit the 20-point mark in 4-of-8 Summit League games this season.
- Brumagin is approaching the school record in games played. The forward has played in 111 games in UMKC Blue and Gold, which is only six games shy of tying Michael Watson (117) for the school record.
Johnson Sets Career-High; Joins Hamilton In Record Books
Sophomore Spencer Johnson registered a career-best five steals on Thursday night at Oral Roberts. The five swipes tie Reggie Hamilton for the most in a game this season for the ?Roos, and the figure is tied for the third most in a single game in school history.
Fellow sophomore James Humphrey also etched his name in the UMKC record books with his five blocks against IPFW on Dec. 6. The five swats are also tied for the third most in a single game in school history.
Mushatt Notches Career-High
A game after scoring a career-high 15 points in the tough overtime loss to North Dakota State, freshman Latreze Mushatt scored 1o points on Thursday night at Oral Roberts. The forward made 3-of-7 shot attempts in the contest.
The performance was Mushatt's second straight double digit scoring performance and his seventh such game this season. The Michigan native is averaging 8.1 points per game for the ?Roos.
Brumagin Sixth All-Time In UMKC History 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, who is just the ninth player in school history to reach the 1,000-point milestone, currently has 1,317 career points, which is 87 points behind Quinton Day (1,404) for fifth place all-time.
Switch-A-Roo
Head Coach Matt Brown used his 12th different line-up of the season on Thursday night at Oral Roberts. The only constants in the mix for the team has been Dane Brumagin and Spencer Johnson, who have started 21 and 20 games, respectively, this season.
Trez Grabs Career-High In Rebounds
Freshman Latreze Mushatt grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds at Western Illinois on Jan. 2. It was the Michigan native's second career game with 10 or more rebounds.
Mushatt has been one of UMKC's top rebounders this season, as he is second on the team with 6.0 boards per game, which ranks 13th in The Summit League. The forward has grabbed at least eight rebounds in a total of eight contests on the year.
Spence A Beast On The Boards
Sophomore Spencer Johnson has been a beast on the boards for the Kangaroos this season despite regularly facing taller players at the five position throughout the year. The 6-6 forward has a Summit League-leading seven games this season where he has grabbed double-digit rebounding totals. The Illinois native is leading the team with 7.3 rebounds per game, which is second in the league. He is also pacing the league with 3.0 offensive rebounds per contest. Additionally, the forward has been UMKC's top rebounder in 16-of-21 games on the year.
R-E-G-G-I-E
Sophomore Reggie Hamilton is second on the team and 17th in The Summit League with a 12.6 scoring average. He has scored in double figures in 14-of-20 games for the squad this season and in five of those contests, the guard has finished with at least 20 points.
Improving His All Around Game
Sophomore Spencer Johnson scored in double digits for the 10th time this season when he finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting at Oral Roberts on Jan. 22. The forward has hit the double figure mark in two of the last three game for the ?Roos.
The Champaign Ill., native has been UMKC's most consistent post player this season, as he's averaging 11.2 points per game, while shooting .456 from the floor. Johnson has emerged into a playmaker for the Kangaroos after scoring 54 points (1.8 ppg.) as a freshman in 2007-08.
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 Has Been Solid For UMKC Since Becoming Eligible
Sophomore Bakari Lewis led the Kangaroos in scoring for the first time in his career when he netted 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting on Thursday at Oral Roberts. The guard made three-of-four three-point attempts in the defeat.
The Ohio native has provided UMKC with another solid option in the backcourt since becoming eligible on Dec. 15. The guard has scored in double figures in three contests, which included an 18-point performance at IUPUI on Dec. 31. In the game, Lewis made 7-of-11 shot attempts, which included a perfect 4-of-4 day from long range.
Lewis has started six games for the team, where he has averaged 8.4 points with a .413 field goal percentage and a .476 mark from long range. He has also done a good job distributing the basketball, as evident by his 28 assists to 18 turnovers.
Master Thief
Senior Dane Brumagin has swiped at least two steals in 14 games for the Kangaroos this season. Brumagin has a total of 37 steals or 1.8 per game, which is tied for second in The Summit League this season.
Closing Out On The 3's
UMKC has been contesting the three-point shots well throughout the season. The Kangaroos are leading The Summit League in allowing its opposition to shoot 31.6 percent (105-340) from three-point range. UMKC has held its opponents under 30 percent from three-point land in a total of 11 games on the year.
Spence's December To Remember
Sophomore Spencer Johnson had an outstanding month of December for the Kangaroos, as he averaged a double-double with 14.9 points and 10.4 rebounds. The Illinois native posted five straight double-doubles to lead the nation from Dec. 4 to Dec. 18. He posted career-highs in points three times during the month and in rebounds on a pair of occasions.
Summit League Player of the Week Honorees
The Kangaroos have had a pair of student-athletes earn Summit League Player of the Week honors this season after having just one honoree in 2007-08.
Sophomore Spencer Johnson earned the team's first POW honor on Dec. 22 after posting back-to-back double-doubles at Northwestern and Eastern Washington on Dec. 15 and Dec. 18. The forward had 22 points and 12 boards against NU before finishing with a career-best 23 points and 11 boards at EWU.
Senior Dane Brumagin became the second straight Kangaroo to earn the Player of the Week accolade on Dec. 28 after averaging 30 points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists in a pair of contests. The forward scored 26 points against UTSA before following it up with a season-high 34 points against SIU Edwardsville.
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 3-7 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.
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 fourth in The Summit League with 3.7 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.
Returners Carry The Load
Through 21 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 67.1 percent of the team's scoring. The four players have scored 913 of the team's 1360 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 266 consecutive regular season or tournament games dating back to January 22, 2000.
Brumagin In The Career Record Books
Free Throw Percentage - 1st - .847 (232-274)
Three-Point Field Goals Made - 3rd - 215
Three-Point Field Goal Attempts - 3rd - 548
40-point scoring games - t3rd - 1
30-point scoring games - 4th - 4
Games Played - t4th - 111
20-point scoring games - 5th - 23
Field Goals Attempted - 6th - 1034
Points - 6th - 1317
Field Goals Made - 7th - 435
Double Figure Scoring Games - 7th - 56
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - t7th - .392 (215-548)
Minutes - 8th - 2742
Free Throws Made - 8th - 232
Steals - 9th - 117
Rebounds - 10th - 389
