Kansas City
Seattle U
'Roos Win Third Straight, Take Out Seattle 82-73
3/7/2014 12:12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
(Kansas City, Mo.) - The UMKC men's basketball team has won three straight, and did it with defense on Thursday night in an 82-73 victory over Seattle, holding the guests to only 36 percent from the floor in the first ever college basketball game at Independence Events Center.
The win streak is the longest of the season for the 'Roos (10-18, 7-8 WAC), who have clinched at least a spot in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game of next week's WAC Tournament. They could get as high as the No. 3 seed with a win over Idaho, and a loss by Chicago State on Saturday.
The most impressive part of the victory was the defensive job Kansas City did on Seattle (13-15, 5-10 WAC) and conference leading scorer Isiah Umipig, holding him to a season-low six points on 1-of-16 shooting. He didn't get his first points of the game until a pair of free throws with 10 minutes remaining.
It was a tight first half, with five ties and four lead changes, but Seattle used the three-point shot to take a 31-29 advantage into the break. It hit 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, while UMKC hit only 1-of-7. Neither team led by more than six points in the period, but the momentum shifted when UMKC sophomore John Burke hit a three with 11 seconds left, and then took a charge on the other end of the floor with two seconds on the clock.
The 'Roos shot only 39 percent in the half, while SU hit 46 percent. The teams also combined for 17 turnovers.
The execution was much more complete for UMKC in the second stanza though, turning it over only four times, and holding the guests to 29 percent shooting. The key stretch came when Kansas City started to do a full court press with 15 minutes on the clock. The 'Roos forced turnovers on five straight possessions, and built their lead to as many as seven by the 10:47 mark. The Redhawks never got closer than five the rest of the night.
“That was the turning point of the game,” UMKC Head Coach Kareem Richardson said. “You could really feel the momentum shift in our favor.”
The offense also got a boost from that stretch, and especially junior Frank Williams. He scored all 16 of his points in the second half, while Nelson Kirksey, who guarded Umipig much of the night, tallied eight of his 13 points in the stanza. As a team UMKC hit 52 percent in the period.
The win was the first sweep of a WAC opponent this season for Kansas City, and the first three-game win streak since December of 2011. The 10 wins also matches the total from two seasons ago, while sitting two better than last year's total.
Williams led five 'Roos in double figures with his 16, while Martez Harrison, who battled foul trouble much of the night, had 14. Kirksey tallied 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Burke matched a season high with 12 points, while freshman Isaac Kreuer battled inside to put up 10 points.
UMKC will host Idaho in the regular season finale on Saturday night at 9:35 p.m. at Independence Events Center. The 'Roos will know what they are playing for with regards to seeding as Seattle plays Chicago State earlier in the day at 2:00 p.m.
