Kansas City
Youngstown State (Ohio)
Starters Propel 'Roos to 88-80 Win Over Youngstown State
12/7/2013 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – Kansas City men's basketball got 86 of its points from the starting lineup on Saturday in an 88-80 upset of Youngstown State, who came in ranked No. 21 in the Mid Major Top 25. Senior forward Nelson Kirksey had a career-high 24 points in the game, leading all five starters in double figures.
“That's what we need from our starters. Those five guys are going to be the bulk of our scoring this season.” Head Coach Kareem Richardson said. “They are a very good team and their guard play is tremendous. (Kendrick) Perry can play anywhere in the country, he is a talent.”
The 'Roos (2-6) jumped out to a 17-10 lead in the opening eight minutes, scoring 14 of those points in the paint. The Penguins (7-4) had an answer though, scoring 11 consecutive points to take a four-point advantage, paced by seven from Kendrick Perry. He would finish the game with 33 points for YSU.
It was back and forth for the next six minutes, but Kansas City closed the final 1:17 of the period on a 7-0 run to take a 42-34 lead into the half. It was the biggest lead of the game for the 'Roos, who were paced by Kirksey in the period with 15 points, while Frank Williams tallied 12. UMKC shot 61.5 percent, while YSU hit 55.6 percent in the period. The difference came from the free throw line as the 'Roos went 8-of-12 while the Penguins hit only 1-of-4.
Youngstown State never got another lead thanks to the UMKC presence on the boards. The 'Roos out-rebounded the Penguins 28-10 over the final 25 minutes, including a 10-4 advantage in second chance points. Fred Chatmon had a team-best four offensive boards (seven overall), while Trinity Hall tallied a team-best eight boards.
“Trinity and Fred did an excellent job on the boards,” Richardson said. “We really preached that in our preparation. We thought we could hurt them on the offensive glass.”
YSU pulled to within two at the 12:49 mark, 55-53, but Kansas City went on a 14-2 rally led by Hall's eight points to stretch that lead to 14 with 8:32 on the clock.
The Penguins could get no closer than five the rest of the way, as it was answered by a Kirksey three from the corner with 2:13 left to seal it.
The 'Roos out-rebounded YSU 36-24 in the contest, and were led in scoring by Kirksey, while Williams finished with a career-best 18 points. Martez Harrison tallied 18 points and a career-best eight assists, while Hall had 15 points and Chatmon put up 11. The 'Roos had 15 assists on 30 made baskets.
Kansas City will host Indiana State next Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in the second of three consecutive home games. It will be played at Municipal Auditorium and be televised on KSMO in Kansas City, as well as ESPN3.
