Kansas City
Southeast Missouri State
UMKC Hands Redhawks First Home Loss, 74-69
12/10/2011 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
(Cape Girardeau, Mo.) - UMKC held on for a 74-69 road win at Southeast Missouri State on Saturday to move above .500 for the first time this season. The 'Roos, who have now won five of their last six games, also handed the Redhawks their first home loss this year.
UMKC (6-5) was fueled again by senior guard Reggie Chamberlain, who was red-hot in the first half. He hit a three with 12:56 on the clock to give the Kangaroos a 14-12 lead, and it would turn out to be the last lead change of the day. UMKC pushed its lead to 30-18 with 6:05 on the clock thanks to a Nate Rogers three-pointer, and eventually went into halftime with a 41-28 advantage over the Redhawks (4-6).
The Kangaroos did it with the three-point shot, going 8-of-12 from beyond the arc in the opening half, while Chamberlain tallied 16 on four threes in the half. Five different 'Roos hit three-pointers in the period and UMKC shot 51.9 percent from the floor as a team. SEMO shot 37.5 percent, but out-rebounded the 'Roos 18-13. UMKC used a 15-2 points off turnovers advantage as well.
The final half opened well for the 'Roos as they pushed the advantage to 16 in the opening three minutes, and held that lead in double digits until the 9:09 mark when SEMO started to chip away.
A strong inside game led by forwards Leon Powell and Tyler Stone kept the pressure on UMKC. The Redhawks also got a good performance from guard Marland Smith, who slashed to the bucket and drew fouls. Smith hit a couple free throws with 4:47 to play to cap a 15-4 run and make it a two-point game at 58-56.
UMKC answered though, getting a huge three-pointer from Kirk Korver on the next possession to push it back to five. Chamberlain followed with another three to make it an eight point game with three minutes left, but SEMO didn't give up, cutting it to one possession at three points on a Smith three with 32 seconds left. The Kangaroos hit all four of their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
UMKC finished shooting 49.0 percent, making it the fifth straight game that the 'Roos have shot at least that well. They hit 13-of-21 from three-point land (61.9 percent) and 13-of-15 from the charity stripe, but the Redhawks kept it close by taking a 38-24 rebound advantage and a 38-19 edge in points in the paint.
Chamberlain finished with 23 points, the sixth consecutive game that he has scored 20+. He also dished out a team-high five assists. Junior forward Thomas Staton was the only other player in double-figures with 10 points, but all eight players that got in the game for UMKC scored at least five points. Staton also added four steals and three blocks. Powell and Smith each had 21 points for the Redhawks.
UMKC will be back in Kansas City next Friday at Municipal Auditorium for a game against Canisius at 7:00 p.m.
