Kansas City
Northwest Missouri State
UMKC Men's Basketball Falls 66-62 to NWMSU
11/11/2011 5:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
(Kansas City, Mo.) - Northwest Missouri State used a 12-3 run midway through the second half and held off a late rally by UMKC to come away from Swinney Recreation Center with a 66-62 upset on Friday afternoon.
It was a 7-7 tie at the first media timeout, but the NCAA Division II Bearcats (1-0) came out to score the next six points, capped by a three from Justin Clark at the top of the key. UMKC (0-1) rallied to cut the margin to one at 17-16 thanks to five points from senior guard Michael Gholston. The Bearcats tallied the next five points though, and led the rest of the half.
With 4:37 to play in the period, NWMSU guard DeShaun Cooper drilled a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to push the lead to eight. Cooper hit another three with 39 seconds left to give the Bearcats a 36-26 advantage at the break.
The Kangaroos only hit 24 percent in the first half, while NWMSU hit 46.4 percent, including 5-of-11 from three-point land. The 'Roos were led by senior guard Reggie Chamberlain with 10 points, while Cooper and Jake Reinders each had 10.
UMKC roared out of the gate in the second stanza though, going on a 10-0 rally to tie it at 36 with 15:04 on the clock. Chamberlain closed the run with back-to-back three-pointers. The 'Roos took their first lead since the 18:56 mark of the first half when senior forward Bernard Kamwa scored a layup with 12:50 to play, making it 41-40.
NWMSU took over from there though, going on a 12-3 spurt over the next four minutes to go ahead for good. The 'Roos cut it to three with 29 seconds left, but the Bearcats sealed it with free throws to snag the win.
Chamberlain led the 'Roos with 19 points in the contest, while sophomore forward Trinity Hall had 12 of his 14 in the final half. The Kangaroos outscored the Bearcats by six in the final half, and shot 40.7 percent, but only hit 32.7 percent for the game. Kamwa was the only other 'Roo in double figures with 10, along with seven boards.
The Kangaroos will head to Peoria, Illinois on Sunday for a 4:00 p.m. contest at Bradley.
