Kansas City
Utah Valley
Wolverines Hold Off 'Roos Late, 58-54
11/20/2011 12:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Kangaroos (1-3) tallied the first four points of the game, but Utah Valley (3-1) stormed back to take a 9-5 lead with 13:21 on the clock. The 'Roos answered with a 13-2 run over the next six minutes though, taking an 18-11 lead. Three different players hit three-pointers during the rally, and UMKC led the rest of the half, although the Wolverines cut it to 25-22 at the break.
The two teams hit around 40 percent in the period, but the 'Roos held an 18-13 rebounding edge, and held UVU to an 0-of-8 performance from beyond the arc. Senior guard Reggie Chamberlain led the balanced attack with six points for UMKC.
The second stanza was a different story though, as the Wolverines came out on fire. They missed their first three, but then nailed their next four over the next four minutes of the period to spur a 17-4 run and take the biggest lead of the night at 10 with 15:42 to play. Leading scorer Isiah Williams and Keith Thompson each hit a pair from outside during the rally.
The Kangaroos didn't panic though, and chipped away at the lead over the next seven minutes thanks to Chamberlain, who poured in 11 points during the stretch to tie it at 45 with 7:22 left.
The Wolverines scored the next two buckets though, and held the lead the rest of the way, despite chances for the 'Roos to tie it. After Williams hit a three with 1:34 left to make it six, sophomore forward Trinity Hall tallied back-to-back buckets, including a dunk with 24 seconds left to cut it to two.
A foul by UMKC put UVU at the line with 20 seconds on the clock, but the big offensive board by Wolverine center Ben Aird forced the 'Roos to foul again. Williams didn't miss this time, making both shots with 14 seconds left.
The Wolverines hit 52 percent in the second half, while UMKC tallied a 44 percent clip. The six offensive boards that UVU had in the period led to 10 points though, and it had a 20-16 rebound edge overall in the half. In the game, UVU had a 15-3 edge on second-chance points.
Chamberlain led the 'Roos with 19 points, while Hall finished with 11. The leading rebounder was junior Thomas Staton with nine. Williams had 17, while Thompson had 16 for UVU.
The Kangaroos will head to Madison for a battle with 13th ranked Wisconsin on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. The contest will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
