UMKC Closes Out January Against IUPUI On Saturday Night
1/30/2009 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday night when the IUPUI Jaguars come to town to face off against the Kangaroos. The two squads will battle at Kemper Arena beginning at 7:05 p.m. The game will be the night cap of a UMKC-IUPUI doubleheader as the Kangaroo women host the Jaguars beginning at 4 p.m.
On The Air
Saturday's game will be aired on 810 AM WHB 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 dropped a 56-51 home decision to Western Illinois on Thursday night at Kemper Arena. UMKC led by as many as 16 points twice in the first half and by 12 points at the break. After the Leathernecks fought back to tie the game, the ?Roos pushed their advantage to four points with 42 seconds remaining. With 17.7 seconds to play, WIU reeled off nine straight points to take the five-point victory.
Game Notes
- Western Illinois scored just 16 first half points against UMKC's 1-3-1 zone defense. The point total was a first-half low for a Kangaroo opponent this season.
- UMKC led by 12 points at the break, 28-16. The halftime margin was tied for the largest lead for the squad this season (Bradley - 11/24 - 36-24).
- The Kangaroos limited Western to just five field goals and a .278 field goal percentage in the first half. The Leathernecks, however, shot 66.7 percent (14-21) over the second 20 minutes to finish with a .487 clip for the game.
- UMKC won the battle on the boards for the second consecutive game and for the sixth time this season. The squad is just 1-5 in such contests.
Scouting IUPUI
IUPUI brings an 11-10 overall and a 4-6 league record into Saturday night's game at Kemper Arena after going on the road to Cedar City to top Southern Utah 79-65 on Thursday. The Jaguars had four players score in double digits against the T-Birds with forward Robert Glenn leading the way with 22 points on a 9-of-10 night from the floor.
Five IUPUI players average at least 8.8 points this season. Glenn is leading the team with a 12.6 scoring average, while shooting .635 from the floor. Freshman Alex Young is second on the squad with a 12.3 average, while senior Gary Patterson scores 10.9 per game. Guard Leroy Nobles and forward Jon Avery chip in 9.5 and 8.8 points, respectively. Avery, who is leading The Summit League with a .670 field goal percentage, is also the team's top rebounder at 6.2 per contest.
The Jaguars shoot 47.3 percent from the field and .334 from the distance en route to 65.4 points per game. The squad is also +3.5 (32.5-29.0) on the boards this season.
IUPUI Game Notes
- The Jaguars shot a staggering 61.2 (30-49) percent from the floor against Southern Utah. IUPUI shared the ball extremely well, as it had 21 assists on its 30 field goals.
- IUPUI has won its last two contests - both on the road - after dropping five straight from Jan. 8 through Jan. 22. The win at IPFW on Jan. 24 was the team's first road victory in more than a month since winning at Seton Hall (67-65) on Dec. 20.
- IUPUI is leading The Summit League in scoring defense, as it gives up 61.7 points per game. The squad is also second in field goal percentage (.473), field goal percentage defense (.428), rebounding margin (+3.5) and blocked shots (3.6). Additionally, the team is third in steals (7.3) and assists (14.0) this season.
UMKC-IUPUI - First Meeting - Dec. 31, 2008
The Kangaroos erased an 11-point deficit to tie the game at IUPUI with 6:50 remaining, but the Jaguars scored the next five points before running out 72-69 winners over UMKC on Dec. 31 in Indianapolis. The ?Roos trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half before heading into the break down 11 at 37-26.
Three UMKC players finished in double digits in the game with senior Dane Brumagin pacing the squad with 23 points on a 9-of-14 effort from the floor. Sophomore Bakari Lewis finished with a career-best 18 points (7-11 FG; 4-4 3PT), while Reggie Hamilton added 10. Four Jaguar players finished the game in double figures with Robert Glenn leading the way with 18 points and nine boards.
UMKC At Kemper Arena
The Kangaroos dropped a 56-51 home decision to Western Illinois on Thursday night at Kemper Arena. The loss drops the ?Roos record at the venue to just 15-14 all-time.
UMKC In Close Contests
The Kangaroos let a four-point lead slip away in the final 17.7 seconds in five-point loss to Western Illinois on Jan. 29. The loss drops the team's record to 4-9 in games decided by seven points or less this season.
Brumagin Paces Squad In Scoring
Senior Dane Brumagin ranks eighth in The Summit League in scoring with a 16.7 per game average. The forward has scored in double digits in 18-of-23 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.
Dane Quickies
- Senior Dane Brumagin has made at least one long ball in 20-of-23 games this season and in 88-of-113 games in his career.
- Brumagin is the only Kangaroo player to start every game this season. The Missouri native has started 25 straight games dating back to last season.
- In Summit League games, Brumagin is tied for sixth with a 16.7 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 113 games in UMKC Blue and Gold, which is only four games shy of tying Michael Watson (117) for the school record.
Another Night; Another Leading Scorer
For the second consecutive game, the Kangaroos had a new player lead the squad in scoring, as Trey McKinney-Jones paced the team with 12 points. This season, UMKC has had eight different players lead the team in scoring on at least one occasion.
TMJ Notches Career-High
Freshman Trey McKinney-Jones notched a career-high with 12 points on a 5-of-8 night from the field against Western Illinois on Jan. 29. The five field goals were a career-high for the Wisconsin native.
JHump Stepping Up His Play
Sophomore James Humphrey has stepped up his play over the last two games, as the forward is averaging 12.5 points on .563 (9-16) shooting. He is also a perfect 2-of-2 from the distance and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
The Fort Wayne, Ind., native opened the stretch with a career-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting at Centenary on Jan. 24, as he led the team in scoring for the first time in his career. Four of his career-best six field goals were rim-rattling dunks.
Humphrey then followed up his career-best performance with a productive nine-point, four-rebound outing against Western Illinois. The forward made 3-of-6 shots in the game.
Hamilton Released From Scholarship At UMKC
Sophomore Reggie Hamilton asked for and received a release from his scholarship with the UMKC men's basketball program on Jan. 27. At the time of his departure, Hamilton was second on the team with a 12.6 scoring average to go along with 3.6 assists per game. He scored in 15-of-21 games for the Kangaroos this season, which included five games with at least 20 points.
Ford Provides Quality Minutes Off The Bench
Redshirt freshman Fred Ford finished with 12 points - his third game this season in double digits - on Jan. 24 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; Etches Name In UMKC Record Books
Sophomore Spencer Johnson registered a career-best five steals on Jan. 22 at Oral Roberts. The five swipes are 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 1,332 career points, which is 72 points behind Quinton Day (1,404) for fifth place all-time.
Switch-A-Roo
Head Coach Matt Brown has used 13 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 23 and 22 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 5.9 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.
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 Champaign Ill., native has been UMKC's most consistent post player this season, as he's averaging 11.1 points per game, while shooting .475 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 1.6 per game, which is fourth 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 32.1 percent (119-371) from three-point range. UMKC has held its opponents under 30 percent from three-point land in a total of 12 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 268 consecutive regular season or tournament games dating back to January 22, 2000.
Brumagin In The Career Record Books
Free Throw Percentage - 1st - .847 (238-281)
Three-Point Field Goals Made - 3rd - 216
Three-Point Field Goal Attempts - 3rd - 554
40-point scoring games - t3rd - 1
30-point scoring games - 4th - 4
Games Played - 4th - 113
20-point scoring games - 5th - 23
Field Goals Attempted - 6th - 1047
Points - 6th - 1332
Field Goals Made - 7th - 439
Double Figure Scoring Games - 7th - 56
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - t7th - .390 (216-554)
Minutes - 8th - 2787
Free Throws Made - 8th - 238
Steals - 9th - 117
Rebounds - 10th - 394
