Kansas City
Kansas State
'Roos Give K-State a Tough Test, But Fall 83-73 in Manhattan
11/17/2014 10:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
(Manhattan, Kan.) - The UMKC men's basketball squad gave Kansas State all it could handle at Bramlage Coliseum on Monday night, but a second half run by the Wildcats proved to be the difference in an 83-73 contest.
“I thought our guys really came out and competed tonight,” Head Coach Kareem Richardson said. “We got some great experience, and hopefully we learned from this game and get better from it.”
The 'Roos (1-1) gave the Wildcats (2-0) their best shot in the opening half, taking the lead early on, and extending it. A Darius Austin put-back layup at the 14:58 mark gave UMKC a 12-6 lead, and on the defensive end the 'Roos forced the Wildcats to take jump shots during the early phases.
Missouri-Kansas City built that advantage thanks to stellar offensive execution, getting up by a 26-15 margin with 9:49 on the clock thanks to a three from Broderick Newbill. The Wildcats rallied though, and cut the margin to only two on a pair of Marcus Foster free throws with 4:17 remaining in the period.
The 'Cats tied it a few minutes later at 32 all, but UMKC wouldn't surrender the lead. The 'Roos got an old fashioned three-point play from Thaddeus Smith to answer, and a three from Martez Harrison with 32 seconds left sent the 'Roos into the half up 40-36.
Both teams shot better than 50 percent in the half, while Foster had a game-high 10 points at the break. Newbill led the 'Roos with eight in the half. Shayok Shayok was a load for the Wildcats to handle, but foul trouble forced him to the bench early with six points.
The second stanza saw the Wildcats make some changes with getting Thomas Gipson the ball in isolation more, and ramp up the defensive effort.
“I thought Coach Weber made some adjustments there. He went small putting four shooters surrounding Gipson, who we all know is a load inside. They emphasized getting the ball inside early and that got us into more foul trouble,” Richardson said. “Gipson did a good job on our opposing guys deep and getting Shayok in foul trouble. All of our big guys were in foul trouble so I thought they made a good adjustment by going small.”
The foul trouble was especially hurtful to the 'Roos, as senior captain and starting forward Reese Holliday sat out due to injury in the game. Shayok and Smith picked up fouls early, and both had to sit down for extended periods with four each.
That just opened the door for KSU to put the ball inside more, and as a result, it went on a run. The 'Roos moved it to six early in the second stanza off a Harrison three, but the Wildcats finally got a lead when Foster hit a three with 16:04 on the clock, 48-46. UMKC kept it to single digits for a while, but KSU was in the double-bonus at the line by the 10 minute mark.
The free throws moved that lead to 11 at the 9:42 mark, but UMKC had plenty of fight, cutting it back down to six on a Harrison layup with 6:34 left. It went back to 10, but UMKC again sliced the lead back to six with 2:16 remaining on a dunk from Shayok. The 'Roos missed their next three shots though, and a Justin Edwards dunk with 47 seconds left sealed it.
Harrison finished with a team-high 21 points, giving him back-to-back 20-plus point games to start the year. It was the second time he had scored 20 or more in consecutive games. Newbill set a career-high with 11 points, while Shayok tallied 10 for the second time in as many games. Eleven different players scored for UMKC in the game as well.
The 'Roos shot 39 percent in the second half, while KSU hit 68 percent. The Wildcats also took a 29-22 edge on the glass, and went 8-of-13 from three. Gipson led KSU with 21 points.
UMKC will play on campus for the only time this year on Wednesday night against Division II Missouri S&T at 7:05 p.m. from Swinney Recreation Center for a student/staff appreciation night. The remainder of the games will take place downtown at Municipal Auditorium.
Postgame Quotes
Kansas State Head coach Bruce Weber
Opening statement…
“I thought it was a good test for us. I thought they were even better against us then they were in the Missouri game. They go to Missouri and win a gutsy game. Obliviously (Martez) Harrison was good. I thought Nigel (Johnson) and Jevon (Thomas) did a good job. The first half they took it to us in every which way. The first 10 or 12 minutes we did not have any answers for them. We have a bunch of guys who are new to this, like Justin (Edwards). The end of both halves, we had pretty good runs. We told them you have to make plays, you cannot watch the game. We shot 58 percent but the 17 turnovers are way too many. (Thomas) Gipson was solid for us, and he is playing like a senior. They are a good team. Kareem (Richardson) has done a great job. Good win for us and now we have to go on the road and see if we can do something.”
On going with a small lineup in the second half…
“We could not guard them with Stephan (Hurt) in there. I felt bad for Stephan (Hurt). He is better in attacking the zone than the other guys. They were just too small and quick. They got us strung out and that is where Wesley (Iwundu), Nino (Williams), and Malek (Harris) can help us. The big thing was we have to be smart with the ball and get Thomas (Gipson) the ball, they cannot stop it. Hopefully we will learn as we go.”
On the experience of a close game…
“Other than the stress in the game, this is good for us. We got experience of taking care of the ball down the stretch, not fouling, being able to put away games, and coming back from adversity. We talked about that as a staff. How we overcome adversity was one of our keys. In the first half, we hit a three, celebrated, they came down and scored. You have to keep playing, it is a long game. It is hard. You are going to have to learn how to compete. It was a good game for us, no doubt.”
UMKC Head Coach Kareem Richardson
Opening Statement…
“I thought that K-State played very well coming into the game. I know Coach Weber has been a coach for a long time and I have respect for him. I knew they would have an excellent game plan ready, which they did. I thought our guys fought for the most part, but you have got to tip your hats to K-State. They outplayed us today and hopefully this will be a great learning experience for our ball club.”
On having more momentum the first half…
“I thought Coach Weber made some adjustments there. He went small putting four shooters surrounding [Thomas] Gipson, who we all know is a load inside. They emphasized getting the ball inside early and that got us into more foul trouble. Gipson did a good job on our opposing guys deep and getting Shayok [Shayok] in foul trouble. All of our big guys were in foul trouble so I thought they made a good adjustment by going small.”
On Gipson getting others in foul trouble…
“I think because of their shooters, putting four shooters out there on the floor a lot of the second half was really key for them. Not only having those shooters out there, but they did a good job of having player movement.”
