Kansas City
North Dakota State
Bison Nip Kangaroos in Final Seconds, 55-54
1/12/2012 11:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
(Fargo, N.D.) - Two North Dakota State free throws with 6.9 seconds left proved to be the difference, as UMKC fell for the seventh straight game, this time by a 55-54 margin on the road at the Bison Sports Arena on Thursday night.
UMKC (7-12, 1-6 SL) played the Bison (12-4, 5-2 SL) within four points for the fifth consecutive meeting, but NDSU pulled out the win to take sole possession of third place in the league standings.
The 'Roos grabbed a three-point lead with just 1:03 on the clock thanks to a three-pointer from sophomore Kirk Korver, but NDSU cut the lead to one on the next possession on a couple free throws with 41 seconds remaining. The 'Roos turned it over on a full court press by the Bison coming back into play, and NDSU converted it to take the lead with a four-point swing just five seconds later.
A big jumper in the lane from senior guard Reggie Chamberlain gave UMKC the advantage with 11 seconds left on the clock, but NDSU pushed it up the court and Taylor Braun was tripped with 6.9 seconds on the clock. After the two made free throws, Chamberlain came down the floor and took an open three with just over a second left, but it was long and NDSU secured the rebound, and the win.
The game was back and forth in the opening half, with neither team leading by more than four points. There were five ties and nine lead changes, but UMKC had the last push, scoring the final five points of the period thanks to freshman guard Estan Tyler, giving the 'Roos a 29-25 lead at the break.
The final stanza saw UMKC push out to a 10-point lead with 9:41 on the clock on a three from Tyler to cap an 8-0 run, making it 46-36. The Bison ramped it up on the defensive end from there though, and UMKC was held without a field goal until the 1:03 mark, and without at point until the 2:37 left. The 'Roos also turned it over on five consecutive possessions at one point during the stretch.
NDSU took its first lead of the half with 5:18 left in the game, and capped its 13-0 run with 3:04 on the clock to make it 49-46. UMKC cut it to only one on a couple Chamberlain free throws, before Korver's three put the 'Roos back up.
UMKC was led by Chamberlain, who had 16 points and seven boards, while Tyler tallied a career-best 12 points. Nate Rogers also put up 11 to cap the double-figure scorers. UMKC had nine three-pointers, but NDSU out-scored the 'Roos by 10 from the foul line.
The Kangaroos will head to Brookings on Saturday for a contest with second-place South Dakota State. The contest, which is the second part of a UMKC-SDSU doubleheader, is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
