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Kansas City
Bakersfield
UMKC Falls Just Short In Upset Bid Over Runners
1/22/2015 11:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
(Bakersfield, Calif.) – Calli White scored a career-high 27 points, including hitting a career-high tying six threes, but was off the mark on her buzzer beating attempt as the Missouri-Kansas City women's basketball team fell just short in its upset bid of WAC preseason favorite Bakersfield, dropping a 70-67 contest on Thursday night at the Icardo Center.
“Lexis (Hardiek) and Samantha (Waldron) did a great job getting me a look,” White said of her last second attempt. “I had a shot, it just didn't go down.”
With the loss, UMKC falls to 3-15 overall and 1-2 in WAC play, while Bakersfield improves to 13-6 on the year and 2-2 in conference action.
“We are really proud of the fight in this team and how they continue to make the commitment to get better every single day,” Head Coach Marsha Frese said. “It's always challenging to win on the road, especially against a very good Bakersfield team. We had opportunities at the end but just weren't able to finish for the win. We will take this experience and learn from it for the rest of conference play.”
For the 'Roos, Aries Washington added 14 points and a career-high tying eight rebounds, while Kiana Law narrowly missed her second straight double-double and third of the season, as the freshman finished with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
In the opening half, Bakersfield struck first and built a four point advantage, but three straight baskets from Washington, Husa and Mitchell put the 'Roos on a 6-0 run and up for the first time at 11-9.
The two teams would trade the lead seven times over the next five minutes, before the 'Roos built their largest lead of the half at 28-22 with a 9-2 run started by Washington finding Mitchell down low, followed by back-to-back jumpers from the freshman and capped by a three from Samantha Waldron.
Bakersfield would reel off the next six to tie the game at 28-28, but UMKC allowed just one more Roadrunner basket the rest of the way, while Washington scored the final six of the half for UMKC, sending the 'Roos to the locker room up 34-30.
Coming out of the break, Bakersfield hit the first shot of the second half, but eight straight UMKC points from White, including a pair of threes, stretched the Kangaroo lead to a game-high eight five minutes in.
The 'Roos would maintain the lead by at least three for the next six minutes of action, but a 17-4 run by the Runners put Bakersfield back in front by six with 7:26 on the clock.
UMKC, however, did not go away quietly, as twice the 'Roos battled back to tie the score, at 57-57 and 59-59.
Bakersfield once again stretched the lead to six in the final minute, but a pair of White threes, sandwiched around a CSUB free throw, cut the lead to one with nine second to go.
The Roadrunners would hit both their free throws with 7.5 seconds to play and after a UMKC timeout, White's three from the right wing just missed off the back of the iron as Bakersfield held on for the 70-67 victory.
On the glass, the Kangaroos outrebounded CSUB 41-40 with Mitchell matching Law for the team-high in boards with 10, marking the second straight game that the 'Roos starting frontcourt each reached double figures.
Defensively, UMKC held the Runners to just 36.2 percent shooting, including 25.0 percent from long range, while hitting 46.7 percent of their attempts from deep.
“Our effort was amazing and our intensity was great,” White added. “We matched our intensity from the Chicago State game and we are starting to bring it every game. We fought hard to the end, but tonight just didn't come out in our favor. When we clean up our execution and some little things it will come out in our favor.”
The Blue & Gold will be back in action again on Saturday when they head north to Seattle to wrap-up their opening three-game WAC road trip against Seattle at 6 p.m. CT.
