Kansas City
Oakland University
UMKC Advances To Summit League Championship Semifinals With 72-59 Win Over Oakland
3/4/2012 4:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Junior Kim Nezianya led the UMKC effort, finishing with team-highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season, while sophomore Eilise O'Connor added 12 points, six rebounds and three assists for the 'Roos.
Senior Dayon Hall-Jones and LeAndrea Thomas, meanwhile, each chipped in 11 points, while fellow senior Brianna Eldridge added eight points and eight rebounds.
Nezianya got the 'Roos started with a rebound put back on the Kangaroos first possession to give UMKC an early 2-0 lead, but Oakland answered with the game's three points to take their only lead of the game.
11 of the next 14 points, though, went to the 'Roos, pushing UMKC's lead to 13-7 with 12:42 left in the first half.
The Kangaroos would go on to build their lead to a first-half high of nine at 20-11, but the Golden Grizzlies would cut the lead to four at 30-26 heading into the locker room.
Coming out of the break, OU cut the lead to two on its first possession, but that would be as close as they would get the rest of the way, as UMKC would go on a 22-3 run to open a 21 point advantage with 13:13 left to play.
Eldridge opened the run with a three from the left wing and added a second three later in the run, while O'Connor chipped in one of her own during the rally.
The 'Roos went on to build their lead to 23 on three occasions, with the latest coming at 65-42 when senior Jade Tinner buried a jumper, before holding on for the 72-59 victory.
As a team, UMKC out-rebounded the Golden Grizzlies 47-36, while the 'Roos defense limited Oakland to just 35.0 percent shooting from the field, including 21.4 percent from three-point range. The 72 points by the Kangaroos, meanwhile, are the second most points by the squad in a Summit League tournament game.
The Blue & Gold will be back in action again on Monday when they face No. 7 seed Western Illinois at 2:30 p.m. in the semifinal round of the 2012 Summit League Championship at the Sioux Falls Arena.
