Kansas City
Idaho
Kangaroos? Second Half Rally Falls Short In Idaho
3/8/2014 5:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
(Moscow, Idaho) – The Kansas City women's basketball team (11-18, 7-9) whittled a 14-point second half deficit a 53-53 tie late in the game but was unable to complete the comeback, falling 70-63 to WAC Champion Idaho (22-8, 15-1) on Saturday afternoon at the Cowan Spectrum.
“We are disappointed in the outcome, but hopefully tonight's game helps our team realize that they can play with anybody in the conference,” Head Coach Marsha Frese said. “When the game comes down to a possession here or possession there and you have an opportunity to win on a team like Idaho's home court, it builds confidence. Hopefully we can use this experience and take the confidence and the momentum into the conference championship.”
Freshman Calli White led the 'Roos offensively, scoring 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range, while Eilise O'Connor finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
“Today was a battle and it proves that we can compete with every team in the conference,” O'Connor said. “We're excited to head to Vegas for the tournament ad make some noise there.”
Senior Kim Nezianya, meanwhile, recorded her 17th double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds, with sophomore Taylor Leathers finishing as the final 'Roo in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Idaho opened the contest with a pair of threes, but Leathers answered with a corner three and Nezianya followed with a baseline jumper to cut the lead to one.
The Vandals extended the lead back to four at 13-9, but White drilled triples on three of the 'Roos next four possessions, extending the UMKC advantage to a first half-high at 18-15 with just under nine minutes left in the first period.
The 'Roos lead, however, was short lived as Idaho used a 14-6 run to retake the lead and extend it to five at the 3:32 mark if the first half.
A Taylor Strickland layup and two O'Connor free throws cut the lead to one, but Idaho closed the half with five of the final seven points to take a 34-30 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Vandals opened the half with an 11-1 run, building a game-high 14 point cushion before a free throw line jumper by O'Connor ended the rally and cut the lead to 45-33 with 16:06 left to play.
White then brought the 'Roos to within six with back-to-back threes, slicing the lead down to six.
Idaho answered with back-to-back baskets to make it a 10 point game, but five straight from Nezianya cut the gap to 49-44 midway through the period.
The two teams traded field goals on their next two possessions, but each time the 'Roos answered with a three, getting the first from Leathers and the second from White, making it a 53-50 game with 8:20 to play.
After a stop on the defensive end, O'Connor sliced through the lane, hit her layup and got fouled sending her to the line where she tied the game at 53-53.
The Vandals, though, answered back with the next five points and built the lead to six at 65-69 with two minutes left to play.
Kansas City would hold the WAC champs scoreless over the next minute of play, while Leathers and Nezianya both converted layups down low to pull the 'Roos back to within two at 65-63 with 47 seconds remaining on the clock.
On the ensuing Idaho possession, the Vandals worked the clock down to 28 seconds before hitting a three from the left wing, while UMKC came up empty on the offensive end and Idaho added two free throws to secure the 70-63 win.
As a team, the 'Roos limited the Vandals to just 37.1 percent shooting, including 29.6 percent from beyond the arc.
With the loss the Blue & Gold will enter the WAC Championship as the No. 6 seed where they will face No. 3 seed Seattle in quarterfinals action at the Orleans Arena on Mar. 12 at 8 p.m. CT.
In the two meetings this season, the 'Roos swept the season series with the Redhawks, winning 77-65 on Jan. 4 in Kansas City before picking up a 73-71 overtime win on Mar. 6 in Seattle.
