Kansas City
Tabor College (Kan.) (Exhibition)
Kangaroos Roll Past Bluejays in Final Exhibition, 90-67
11/5/2011 9:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
(Kansas City, Mo.) - UMKC bounced back nicely, and led from start to finish in its final exhibition game on Saturday night, coasting to a 90-67 win over Tabor College at Swinney Recreation Center. The 'Roos hit 14 three-pointers and got 26 points from senior guard Reggie Chamberlain in the contest.
The opening period saw the 'Roos jump out to a quick 9-2 lead thanks to four points from Chamberlain, but the Bluejays cut it back to a one-point game by the 14:09 mark. An 11-1 UMKC run followed though, and after a couple free throws from freshman guard Estan Tyler, the score as 20-9 just two minutes later.
The lead hovered in the double-digit range for the next eight minutes with the 'Roos getting it up to as many as 16 before the Bluejays mounted a run. A three-pointer from TC's Rico Wells cut the margin to 44-38 with 1:01 remaining, but a three on the other end from the corner by junior Thomas Staton with five seconds left pushed it back to nine at the break.
Both teams shot 50 percent in the half, but a 13-6 advantage in points off turnovers for the 'Roos, as well as a 7-of-12 clip from three point range made the difference. Chamberlain led all scorers with 15 points, while Tyler tallied 11. The Bluejays' Antonio Higgins had 12 points.
The Kangaroos put the game away early in the final stanza, going on a 22-7 run in a span of seven minutes to make it 69-45. Sophomore forward Kirk Korver poured in eight points during the stretch, capped by a three.
UMKC went ahead by as many as 28, and held the Bluejays to only one three-pointer in the half and 40 percent from the floor. The 'Roos also out-rebounded the Bluejays by a 19-12 margin.
Chamberlain went 8-of-10 from the floor with a 5-of-5 shooting clip from three-point range, while Tyler finished with 16 after going 4-of-4 from the outside. Korver scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half, hitting three from beyond the arc, while junior center Brad Reid rounded out double figures with 10 points and seven boards.
UMKC will host Northwest Missouri State on Friday afternoon in the regular season opener on Veteran's Day in a rare 1:00 p.m. tipoff from Swinney Recreation Center.
