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Kansas City
Grand Canyon
?Roos Trim 15-Point Second Half Deficit To Three But Can?t Complete Comeback
2/28/2015 2:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball
(Phoenix, Ariz.) – Grace Mitchell notched her second straight double-double and sixth of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds, as the Missouri-Kansas City women's basketball team (6-22, 4-9) fell 57-42 to Grand Canyon (13-13, 7-6) on Saturday afternoon at GCU Arena.
“We could have come out stronger, but we adjusted and we got within three points at one point,” Mitchell said. “We could have controlled the tempo better, but we made a few adjustments and continued to fight. They just got the better of us.”
Aries Washington led the 'Roos in scoring in the game with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field with five rebounds and three assists, while as a team, UMKC out-rebounded GCU 38-29 and limited them to just 34.5 percent shooting, including 26.9 percent from three-point range.
“Our team is resilient and never quits,” UMKC Head Coach Marsha Frese said. “We cut it down to a one possession game with under four minutes to play, but just couldn't close it out. I'm proud of how hard our team keeps competing. We need to continue to lay that groundwork for what's to come.”
GCU came out hot early, opening a 15-2 lead with a Washington jumper standing as the 'Roos lone points, before Sierra Bone and Mitchell connected on back-to-back jumpers of their own to cut the deficit to nine.
The Lopes answered with six of the next eight, but UMKC closed the half on an 8-2 run, with Washington scoring four during the stretch, to cut the lead to 23-16 heading into halftime.
Coming out of the break, Grand Canyon opened with the first eight points of the half, but three straight baskets from Washington, Mitchell and Samantha Waldron brought the lead back to single digits just under four minutes in.
A GCU free throw would end the stretch, but Washington buried another jumper and Waldron drilled a three to make it an 11-1 run and bring it to within five at 32-27.
The lead would grow back to 10 twice more over the next five minutes, including at 41-31 when Washington started a 7-0 run that Calli White capped with a three from the top of the key to bring the deficit down to three with just over five minutes left on the clock.
The Lopes, however, would be too strong down the stretch as GCU closed the game on a 16-4 run to secure the victory.
The Blue & Gold will be back in action again next Saturday when they return to Kansas City for their regular season finale against Texas-Pan American on Mar. 7 at 1 p.m. on Senior Day.
