Kansas City
Longwood
UMKC Rolls Past Longwood for Chicago Invitational Challenge Upper Division Title
11/26/2011 6:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
(Hoffman Estates, Ill.) - The UMKC Kangaroos put together their most complete effort of the season in a 93-53 win over Longwood in the championship game of the mid-major division at the Chicago Invitational Challenge on Saturday at Sears Centre Arena.
The 40-point margin was the eighth-largest in school history, and it was the first Division I Tournament title for UMKC since 1991 (River City Classic at Southeast Missouri State).
UMKC was on fire from three-point range, hitting 16 in the game, just one shy of the school record. The 'Roos shot 64 percent from the field (34-of-53) and 67 percent from beyond the arc (16-of-24). Nine players scored in the contest, and seven hit three pointers. The Kangaroos also finished with 25 assists, the highest under head coach Matt Brown.
The Kangaroos (3-4) played strong to start the game against Longwood (2-5), scoring a season-best 48 points and shooting a blistering 68 percent from the floor. UMKC jumped out early and never looked back, spurred by 11 early points from senior guard Reggie Chamberlain, making it 14-7 with 13:56 to play.
The Kangaroos pushed it to a 13-point lead with 10:40 left in the half, before senior guard Dustin Dibble caught fire, drilling three-pointers in three consecutive possessions. He helped the lead reach 19 with 6:35 left. Before the first period was complete, the 'Roos pushed the lead to 25 points at 44-19 after Chamberlain hit another three. UMKC took a 48-25 advantage into the half, with Chamberlain at 18, and Dibble with 11. It was the most points in a half this season.
The 'Roos kept the pedal on the gas to open the second, pushing their lead to 30 with 17:21 on the clock. By the 3:55 mark it was a 40-point margin (41 was the largest lead of the night).
Three 'Roos tallied career-highs in points at UMKC, including 24 from Dibble (previous high was 15). Sophomore guard Nate Rogers put up 13 points and five assists. Chamberlain, who was named the Tournament MVP, scored 24 in only 18 minutes of action. He averaged 23 points per game over the two days.
The Kangaroos also held Longwood to only 33.3 percent from the floor, and 1-of-13 from the three-point line.
UMKC will start Summit League play on Thursday with a game at IPFW, followed by a trip to face defending league champion Oakland two days later.
