Men's Basketball To Face Western Illinois At Kemper On Thursday
1/28/2009 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will return to Kansas City for a pair of home contests beginning with a Thursday night match-up against Western Illinois. The Kangaroos will battle the Leathernecks at Kemper Arena beginning at 7:05 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on Metro Sports.
On The Tube
Thursday's game will be televised live on Metro Sports. Neil Harwell will call the play-by-play, while Doug Elstun will serve as the color commentator.
On The Air
Thursday's game will be aired on 810 AM with the “Voice of the Kangaroos” Steven Davis calling the play-by-play with Steven St. John serving as the color commentator. Davis is the son of long-time Kansas and Royals play-by-play announcer Bob Davis, while St. John is the host of “The Border Patrol” on 810 WHB.
Last Game
The Kangaroos rallied from a 14-point second half deficit to even the game at 60, but Centenary used a 13-5 run over a four-minute stretch late in the game to build its lead to eight (74-66) before going on to claim the 83-75 victory. UMKC had four players finish the contest in double figures, but the Gents shot over 57 percent from the field and long range to take the victory.
Game Notes
- UMKC won the battle on the boards, 37-24. It was the fifth game this season where the ?Roos have out rebounded their opponent.
- The Kangaroos finished with 10 steals in the contest. It was the third time in the last four games for the team to have 10 swipes.
- UMKC got 43 points in bench scoring in the game. Three of the top four scorers for the team in the contest did so in a reserve role.
Scouting Western Illinois
The Leathernecks bring a 6-14 overall record and a 3-6 mark in Summit League play into Thursday's game against UMKC. Last weekend, Western Illinois dropped road contests at IPFW (80-71) and Oakland (86-46).
Two Leatherneck players are averaging in double digits on the season. Guard David DuBois is pacing the squad with a 17.8 per game average to go along with a team-high 5.7 rebounds. DuBois is shooting .481 from the floor and .440 from long range on the year. Fellow guard Josh Rivers, meanwhile, averages 10.7 points per game to go along with a team-best 2.95 assists per game.
Western Illinois is last in The Summit League with a 58.7 per game scoring average, while shooting .427 from the floor and .393 from three-point land. The squad is also -3.6 on the glass (27.7-31.3) on the season.
WIU Game Notes
- The Leathernecks have dropped six straight contests since defeating UMKC by the score of 71-68 on Jan. 2. During the losing streak, the squad has lost by an average of 14.5 points per game.
- Guard David DuBois missed WIU's game against Oral Roberts on Jan. 17 due to injury.
- DuBois ranks fourth in the league in scoring (17.8), ninth in field goal percentage (.481) and 14th in rebounding (5.7).
- UMKC won 16 straight games over Western Illinois prior to the Leathernecks' current three-game winning streak in the series.
UMKC-WIU - First Meeting - Jan. 2, 2009
The Kangaroos dropped a 71-68 road decision at Western Illinois on Jan. 2. The Leathernecks stormed out to a 13-2 and 29-9 advantage in the first half before UMKC whittled it down to 14 at the break. The ?Roos pulled to within a point (43-42) midway through the second half, but WIU responded with a 17-7 run to extend its lead back to 11 points (60-49). UMKC managed to get within a single possession three times in the final minute, but WIU held on for the three-point win.
Dane Brumagin and Fred Ford paced the Kangaroos in scoring with 15 points apiece. WIU, meanwhile, got 21 points from both David DuBois and Josh Rivers in the victory.
UMKC At Kemper Arena
The Kangaroos will play its next two home games at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, where the program has a 15-13 all-time record. Last season, UMKC went 2-2 at the venue with wins over Centenary and South Dakota State and losses to Oral Roberts and North Dakota State.
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 17.2 per game average. The forward has scored in double digits in seven of the last nine contests and in 18-of-22 games this season. For his career, he has scored in double figures 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.
Rough Road Ahead
Things won't get any easier for the Kangaroos down the stretch this season, as five of the team's final nine games are away from Kansas City. In addition, two of the squad's remaining for home dates will be played in spacious Kemper Arena.
Dane Quickies
- Senior Dane Brumagin has made at least one long ball in 20-of-22 games this season and in 88-of-112 games in his career.
- Brumagin is the only Kangaroo player to start every game this season. The Missouri native has started 24 straight games dating back to last season.
- In Summit League games, Brumagin is seventh in the league with a 17.8 scoring average. The forward has hit the 20-point mark in four Summit League games this season.
- Brumagin is approaching the school record for games played. The forward has played in 112 games in UMKC Blue and Gold, which is only five games shy of tying Michael Watson (117) for the school record.
JHump With The Dunk
Sophomore James Humphrey finished with four thunderous dunks en route to a career-high 16 points on Jan. 24 at Centenary. For the game, the Fort Wayne, Ind., native made 6-of-10 shots, as he led the Kangaroos in scoring for the first time in his career. The six field goals were also a career-best for the forward.
Ford Provides Quality Minutes Off The Bench
Redshirt freshman Fred Ford finished with 12 points - his third game this season in double digits - on Saturday at Centenary. The guard made 5-of-10 shot attempts in the contest. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native also finished with four assists for the team in 21 minutes of court time. It was Ford's third straight game with four assists.
Johnson Sets Career-High; Joins Hamilton In Record Books
Sophomore Spencer Johnson registered a career-best five steals on Jan. 22 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.
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 1,325 career points, which is 79 points behind Quinton Day (1,404) for fifth place all-time.
Switch-A-Roo
Head Coach Matt Brown has used 12 different starting line-ups this season. The only constants in the mix for the team have been Dane Brumagin and Spencer Johnson, who have started 22 and 21 games, respectively, this season.
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.
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 5.8 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 7.1 rebounds per game, which is third in the league. He is also pacing the league with 2.9 offensive rebounds per contest. Additionally, the forward has been UMKC's top rebounder in 16-of-22 games on the year.
Improving His All Around Game
Sophomore Spencer Johnson scored in double digits for the 10th and 11th times this season when he finished with 11 points at Oral Roberts on Jan. 22. and 14 points at Centenary on a perfect 6-of-6 performance from the floor. The forward has hit the double figure mark in three of the last four games for the ?Roos.
The Champaign Ill., native has been UMKC's most consistent post player this season, as he's averaging 11.4 points per game, while shooting .472 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
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 1.7 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 32.4 percent (117-361) 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 3-8 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.
Raining Threes
UMKC has made at least one three-point basket in 267 consecutive regular season or tournament games dating back to January 22, 2000.
Brumagin In The Career Record Books
Free Throw Percentage - 1st - .845 (235-278)
Three-Point Field Goals Made - 3rd - 216
Three-Point Field Goal Attempts - 3rd - 552
40-point scoring games - t3rd - 1
30-point scoring games - 4th - 4
Games Played - t4th - 112
20-point scoring games - 5th - 23
Field Goals Attempted - 6th - 1041
Points - 6th - 1325
Field Goals Made - 7th - 437
Double Figure Scoring Games - 7th - 56
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - t7th - .391 (216-552)
Minutes - 8th - 2761
Free Throws Made - 8th - 235
Steals - 9th - 117
Rebounds - 10th - 391
