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Kansas City
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North Florida
Three ?Roos Reach Double Figures As UMKC Falls To Ospreys In Season Opener
11/13/2015 4:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – Making her UMKC debut, sophomore Daijane Dillard scored a team-high 12 points, hitting 4-of-8 from three point range, with five rebounds, three assists and a steal as UMKC women's basketball fell 62-55 on Friday afternoon at the Swinney Recreation Center in the season opener to North Florida.
“My teammates gave me good looks, I shot the open shots and today I was hitting,” Dillard said. “We needed some buckets and today I was feeling good. I try to control the game and control the tempo and make sure my teammates are in the right spot. Hopefully we learn from today and keep getting better.”
Sophomore Kiana Law neared a double-double in the contest, finishing with 11 points and a team-high eight of the 'Roos 44 rebounds, while senior Taylor Leathers matched Law with 11 points, adding six rebounds, three assists and a steal.
UNF jumped out to an early 8-4 lead in the contests, but back-to-back baskets by Paige Husa knotted the score at eight midway through the first quarter. The ospreys responded with the game's next 10 points, but Dillard hit her first three of the contest to cut the deficit to 18-11 after one period of play.
The Kangaroos continued to chip away in the second quarter as Samantha Waldron hit a pair of triples and Kiana Law hit two shots down low to trim the lead to three midway through. UMKC worked its way back to within two twice, on a Leathers three and a layup from Husa, but the final six points of the half went to UNF as they took a 34-26 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, Ceidra Coleman opened the half with a layup and Dillard buried her second three, closing the gap to 34-31. The lead would grow back to six with 3:08 left in the third, but two more Dillard threes and a layup from Leathers pulled UMKC to one at 42-41. The Ospreys, however, scored the period's final basket to enter the final quarter with a 44-41 lead.
In the fourth, North Florida stretched its lead back to six just over three minutes in to the period, but UMKC fought back getting four points from Law and a jumper from the top of the key from Leathers off a kick out by Coleman to pull to within two points with just 41 seconds left on the clock. The Ospreys, however, would be too good from the line down the stretch, as they connected on all eight of their free throws with less than 30 seconds to play to come away with the win.
For the 'Roos, Husa finished with six points, seven rebounds and a block and Waldron chipped in six points, six rebounds a steal and an assist.
As a team, UMKC was +21 on the boards, limiting the Ospreys to just 23 rebounds, leading to a 16-4 advantage in second chance points, while also finishing with 15 assists on their 20 made baskets.
“I'm really pleased with our efforts on the boards,” Head Coach Marsha Frese said. “We did a good job of getting as many opportunities as we could. It's going to take us a little bit of time to adjust to some of the new pieces that joined us this season. We have to be dialed in and focused on what are strengths are. We have an opportunity to be a really balanced team, but we just didn't put that on display today.”
The Blue & Gold will hit the road for the first time this season when they head to Milwaukee, Wis., on Monday for a 7 p.m. CT contest with the Panthers on Nov. 16.
