Kansas City
Omaha
UMKC Takes Out Omaha In Slugfest on National TV, 79-72
12/13/2014 6:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – UMKC men's basketball came from nine behind on two occasions Saturday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium, and pulled out a hard-fought 79-72 victory over Omaha in a game televised nationally on the American Sports Network. Martez Harrison headlined the attack with 25 points and six assists.
“There were times in that second half that we could have folded, but our guys did a great job of staying with it and not panicking,” Head Coach Kareem Richardson said. “We forced 26 turnovers and had 16 steals against two of the better combo guards that we will face all year long, so it's a credit to our guys.”
Energy was the key for UMKC (4-7) all day, as it jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the game and moved that to 13-6 by the 15:48 mark. The opening half was all runs, as UNO (4-5) answered the start with a 15-2 rally to take a 21-15 lead a little more than five minutes later.
After the 'Roos cut it to two, Omaha pushed it back up to nine at 31-22 with 6:22 on the clock. The Mavericks took advantage of the smaller 'Roos lineup inside, taking a huge rebound margin, and scored several second-chance points. Kansas City made up for that with good ball pressure, forcing turnovers and turning them into points on the other end. A Harrison fast break layup with 1:53 left before the break gave the lead back to the 'Roos, and was part of a 17-4 run to end the period. UMKC went into the half with a 39-35 advantage.
Harrison and Frank Williams were the catalysts on offense, as they had 12 and 10, respectively, in the opening period, while guard CJ Carter paced the Mavs with 12 points. UMKC forced 15 turnovers in the half, but were out-rebounded 21-16.
The second stanza saw the Mavericks come out firing, led by Tre'Shawn Thurman's offense. He tallied 12 points in the half, with a jumper at the 15:40 mark making it a three-point UNO lead. Omaha moved that lead to nine with 14:04 left, matching its largest advantage of the day.
UMKC got sparked by Reese Holliday though, as he scored five straight points to get it back down to four. The 'Roos cut it to two, but the Mavericks held them off until the 7:08 mark. That's when Williams drilled a three to tie the score at 61. Kansas City went in front after Harrison layups on the next two possessions. That would be the last lead change of the night, with the 'Roos extending their advantage to as many as nine with 1:46 left.
Harrison scored 13 in the second half, with UMKC forcing 11 more turnovers and turning them into 16 points. The offense was more aggressive as well, with the 'Roos getting to the free throw line 25 times in the half, and getting UNO into foul trouble.
Williams finished the game with a season-high 16 points, while Deshon Taylor set his career-best with 12 on the night. Also contributing big minutes was Darius Austin, who pulled down eight rebounds against a bigger lineup, and also scoring a career-best nine points.
Nine points was the largest deficit UMKC had come back from this season in a win. The 'Roos moved to 3-0 at home as well with the victory.
UMKC will face Incarnate Word on Saturday, a team that is fresh off an upset of Nebraska this week. It will be a doubleheader at Municipal, with the women playing at 3:30 and the men tipping at 6:05 p.m. in locally televised contests on KSMO in Kansas City.
