Kansas City
North Dakota
'Roos Open Season With School Record Fifth Straight Home Win
12/18/2010 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kansas City, Mo. -- The UMKC men's basketball team (6-4, 0-2) picked up its fifth consecutive win at the Swinney Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon, 69-61, over North Dakota (4-7). The five straight home wins are the most in school history in the Division I era, topping the 4-0 start by the 2001-02 team.
Freshman Trinity Hall led the 'Roo effort in the win, scoring a team and new career-high of 18 points, while adding five rebounds and a steal off the bench. Juniors Michael Gholston, Jr., and Bernard Kamwa, meanwhile, notched their new career-highs as well, as each recorded 11 points in the contest. Seniors Jay Couisnard and Bakari Lewis were the fourth and fifth 'Roos in double-figures, as they also finished with 11 points apiece, while senior Spencer Johnson led the team on the glass with nine rebounds.
The 'Roos opened up the game with some hot shooting, using an 8-0 run, after giving up the first two points of the game, to take an early six point lead.
The Fighting Sioux would quickly answer with an 11-2 run, to recapture the lead at 13-10.
UMKC would retake the lead at 16-15, but a 13-4 run by UND would give them an eight point advantage at 28-20 with 7:52 remaining in the first half.
The 'Roos would claw their way back into it, ending the half with a Gholston three, that cut the lead to 33-31 at the break.
Coming out of halftime, UMKC would quickly recapture the lead at 36-35, but a 9-0 North Dakota run gave the Sioux a 44-36 lead, matching their largest of the game.
A Jay Couisnard three-pointer would end the North Dakota rally and jump start a 13-3 run by the 'Roos, giving them back the lead at 49-47 with 10:21 left to play in the game.
North Dakota would stay within two points until a 10-4 UMKC run on a three-pointer from Gholston and three Kamwa field goals, the last on a dunk off a Gholston assist, increased the UMKC lead to six at 58-52 with 5:31 remaining.
From that point, the Fighting Sioux would get no closer than four points, and the 'Roos would put the game out of reach, scoring seven of their final nine points from the free throw line to claim the 69-61 win.
In the contest, UMKC out-rebounded the Fighting Sioux, 38-29, while the 'Roo reserves out-scored North Dakota's bench 29-24. The 'Roos also shot a season-high 58.8 percent from beyond the arc, knocking down 10-of-17 shots, led by a trio of Hall three-pointers and two apiece from Couisnard, Gholston, Jr., and Lewis.
The Blue & Gold will be in action again on Tuesday when they welcome in Houston Baptist to the SRC for a 7:05 p.m. tilt.
