UMKC Gears Up For Southern Utah To Open Three-Game Home Stand
1/8/2009 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will open up a season-long three-game home stand at Municipal Auditorium on Saturday night against Southern Utah. The tip time between the Kangaroos and Thunderbirds is set for 7:05 p.m.
On The Air
Saturday's game will be aired on 1480 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 dropped a 71-68 road decision at Western Illinois on Jan. 2. The Leathernecks stormed out to a 13-2 and 29-9 advantage over UMKC in the first half before the Kangaroos fought back to within 14 at the break. After whittling the deficit to 11 points, the ?Roos used a 12-2 run to pull within a single point at 43-42 with 11:13 remaining. WIU, however, responded with a 17-7 run to extend its lead back to 11 points (60-49). UMKC wouldn't quit fighting as it managed to get to within a single possession three times in the final minute, but the squad couldn't complete the comeback in the three-point loss.
Game Notes
- WIU started the game on a torrid pace from the floor, as it made 12-of-16 shots to start the game. For the game, the Leathernecks shot .522 from the field and .538 from long range.
- UMKC won the battle on the boards over WIU, 35-26. It was the fourth game this season that the ?Roos held the advantage on the glass. The squad, however, is just 1-3 in such contests.
- The Kangaroos had five players score nine or more points in the contest with three of those players finishing in double digits.
Scouting Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds enter Saturday's contest having lost seven of eight games to drop their record to 4-11 overall and an even 2-2 in Summit League play. Last week, SUU fell by eight points at Western Illinois (61-53), before losing a five-point decision at IUPUI (59-54).
The T-Birds have three players averaging in double figures on the season. Guard Davis Baker is leading the team and is fourth in The Summit League with a 17.6 per game average. He is shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 92.2 percent from the charity stripe. Forward Tyler Quinney is averaging 14.6 points, while center John Clifford is adding 10.5 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds, which ranks third in the league.
SUU has the second highest field goal percentage in the league at 47.5 percent, which leads to the squad scoring 66.1 points a game. The T-Birds are also +2.5 on the glass this season (29.5-27.0).
SUU Game Notes
- The Thunderbirds are leading The Summit League in team free throw percentage (.788) this season. SUU has the top two shooters in the league from the charity stripe in Davis Baker (.922) and Tyler Quinney (.839).
- SUU has done an excellent job with its three-point defense, as its opponents are shooting just 28.9 percent from long range on the year.
- SUU's John Clifford is pacing the league with a eye-popping 67 percent field goal percentage this season. The center has made 61-of-91 attempts in 15 games.
Nail Biters Not Kind To Kangaroos
The Kangaroos have been competitive in just about every game this season, but the squad is having its difficulties in tight contests. UMKC has posted a 3-7 record in games decided by seven points or less this season. During its current four-game losing streak, the squad has lost by a combined 16 points or four points per contest.
Brumagin Keeps Scoring For UMKC
Senior Dane Brumagin finished with 15 points on a 4-of-10 night from the floor on Jan. 2 at Western Illinois. The performance snapped a string of three-straight games with 20 or more points for the Kangaroo forward.
During his previous three-game stretch, Brumagin scored 26 points against UTSA, a season-high 34 points vs. SIU Edwardsville and 23 points at IUPUI. The three straight games with 20 or more points came after the forward was held to just nine points in the win at Eastern Washington on Dec. 18.
This season, Brumagin is leading team and is third in The Summit League with an 18.4 scoring average, while shooting 45.9 percent from the floor and 37.7 percent from long range. He has scored in double figures in 15-of-17 games, while hitting the 20-point mark in a total of six contests.
For his career, Brumagin has scored in double digits in 53 games and in 22 of those contests he has hit the 20-point mark.
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 6.2 boards per game, which ranks 11th in The Summit League. The forward has grabbed at least eight rebounds in a total of seven contests on the year.
Offensively, Mushatt is fourth on the team with an 8.2 per game scoring average, and he's scored in double figures in five games this season.
UMKC is....
- 0-10 when allowing 70 or more points this season.
- 5-2 when allowing 69 or fewer points this season.
- 3-1 when it goes into the half with a lead.
Dane Quickies
- Senior Dane Brumagin went 0-4 from three-point range on Jan. 2 at WIU. It was the first game this season and the first game since Jan. 24, 2008 - a span of 26 games - that the forward did not make a long ball. Brumagin has made at least one three pointer in 84-of-107 career games.
- Brumagin is the only Kangaroo player to start every game this season. The Missouri native has started 19 straight games dating back to last season.
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 1,260 career points, which is 144 points behind Quinton Day (1,404) for fifth place all-time.
FF Reaches DD
Redshirt freshman Fred Ford scored a career-high 15 points off the bench, which included eight points over the final two minutes, at Western Illinois on Jan. 2. The guard made 4-of-5 field goal attempts in the contest and all six of his free throws.
It was Ford's second career game in double figures, as he netted first hit the mark with his 12-point performance at Northwestern on Dec. 15.
Perfecto From Long Distance
Sophomore Bakari Lewis has made five straight three-point attempts over the past two contests. The guard went a perfect 4-of-4 from long range en route to his career-high 18-point scoring output at IUPUI on Dec. 31 before making his lone three-pointer at WIU on Jan. 2. The perfect 1.000 three-point field goal percentage against the Jaguars is a season-best for a Kangaroo player this season.
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 six 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 ranks fourth in The Summit League. He is also tied for the league-high with 3.1 offensive rebounds per contest. Additionally, the forward has been UMKC's top rebounder in 13-of-17 games on the year.
Improving His All Around Game
Sophomore Spencer Johnson has been UMKC's most consistent post player this season, as he's scored in double digits in a total of eight contests on the year. Among the eight contests is three games with 20 or more points.
Johnson is third on the team with an 11.5 scoring average this season, while shooting .448 (70-154) from the floor. The offensive production is staggering, as the forward scored a total of 54 points as a true freshman, where he averaged 1.8 points per contest.
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
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.
Lewis Gives UMKC Another Scoring Option
Sophomore Bakari Lewis has given the Kangaroos a much needed fourth scoring option since becoming eligible on Dec. 15. On Dec. 31 at IUPUI, the guard had the best scoring game of his Kangaroo career when he finished with 18 points on a 7-of-11 shooting performance, which included a perfect 4-of-4 day from long range.
Lewis, who has started five straight games for the squad, has averaged 9.2 points on .488 shooting in six games. He also has an 19 assists to 11 turnovers on the year.
Master Thief
Senior Dane Brumagin has tallied at least two steals in eight of the last 11 games for the Kangaroos. The Missouri native has a total of 29 steals or 1.7 per game on the season, which ranks fourth 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 3-6 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 well through the first half of the season. The Kangaroos are third in the league in allowing its opposition to shoot 31.5 percent (90-286) 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.
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 4.2 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 13.4 scoring average. The Harvey, Ill., native has reached double figures in 13-of-17 games this season, and in five of those contests, the guard finished with at least 20 points.
Switch-A-Roo
Head Coach Matt Brown has used 11 different starting line-ups over the first 17 games this season. Last season, UMKC used a total of 17 different starting line-ups on the year.
Returners Carry The Load
Through 17 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 69.1 percent of the team's scoring. The four players have scored 779 of the team's 1127 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 262 consecutive regular season or tournament games dating back to January 22, 2000.
Brumagin In The Career Record Books
Free Throw Percentage - 1st - .847 (216-255)
Three-Point Field Goals Made - 3rd - 210
40-point scoring games - t3rd - 1
30-point scoring games - 4th - 4
Three-Point Field Goal Attempts - 4th - 535
Field Goals Attempted - 4th - 992
Points - 6th - 1260
20-point scoring games - 6th - 22
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - 6th - .393 (210-535)
Field Goals Made - 7th - 417
Double Figure Scoring Games - 7th - 53
Games Played - t8th - 107
Minutes - 9th - 2601
Free Throws Made - 9th - 216
Steals - 9th - 109
Rebounds - 12th - 377
