Kansas City
Wichita State
UMKC Shocks Wichita State on the Road, 56-54
11/16/2016 12:12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
WICHITA, Kan. – Behind a career-high 22 points from junior guard Samantha Waldron (Omaha, Neb.), UMKC women's basketball topped Wichita State, 56-54, at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas, on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
UMKC (1-1) had three players that reached double-figures in scoring, with junior Aries Washington (Kansas City, Mo.) scoring 14 and redshirt sophomore Kristen Moore (Chicago, Ill.) adding 11, but it was Waldron's clutch shooting that stole the show against the Shockers (1-1).
“Anyone that has watch Samantha play knows this is what she is capable of,” head coach Marsha Frese said. “She has the ability to go out on any night and put on a performance like this.”
The Roos held a 15-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, with Washington and Waldron each scoring four points in the quarter. UMKC finished the first on an 8-0 run, with Washington starting things off. With the Roos down 11-9, Waldron knocked down one-of-two free throws for her first point of the game, and with just 46 seconds left in the quarter, the Millard West High School alum knocked down a three to give UMKC its first lead of the game.
UMKC picked up two more points off free throws from senior guard Kelsey Barrett (Kansas City, Mo.) with just one second remaining on the clock to give the Roos the four-point lead going into the first break.
Waldron picked up five points in the second quarter and Washington added four to her stat line to help Roos take a five-point lead into the half, 28-23.
UMKC started to run away from the Shockers in the third, with Waldron picking up eight points in the quarter, knocking down her third three pointer of the game with 1:54 remaining. Washington added four points for the Roos in the third, helping give UMKC a 12-point lead at the end of the quarter.
The Roos picked up their largest lead of the game with 9:47 left in the fourth, going ahead of Wichita State by 14 on a Moore layup. Following the basket, the Shockers did their best to get back in the game, going on a 9-0 run to bring the score within three, 46-43, but five-straight points from Waldron, including her fourth three of the game, silenced the Koch Arena Crowd momentarily. Holding a 51-43 lead, the Roos continued to battle, but the Shockers wouldn't make it easy on them. Wichita State bounced back from Waldron's five-point run to tie the game with 2:01 left, the first time they evened the score since UMKC took the lead with 46 seconds left in the first.
After the Shockers tied the game, Washington was fouled and stepped to the line to shoot two free throws, knocking down one to give UMKC the lead back. Senior Ceidra Coleman (Bryan, Texas) was fouled with 18 seconds left and the Roos still up by one. Coleman sunk one-of-two from the charity stripe, but a foul by Moore sent Wichita State to the line with nine seconds remaining and a chance to tie the game.
The Shockers knocked down both of the free throws to even the score again. With just nine seconds remaining in the game, Frese called a timeout to compose her team. The Roos got the ball in but a Shockers deflection stopped play, and Frese elected to bring forward Kiana Law (Pittsburgh, Pa.) into the game, despite the junior sitting the majority of the game because of foul trouble.
UMKC inbounded the ball to Law, and the Central Valley High School alum drove to the bucket and knocked down her first basket of the game. The bucket proved to be the game-winner as a last second desperation heave from the Shockers never had a chance.
The Roos are back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 22, as they welcome Western Illinois to Swinney Recreation Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT between UMKC and the Leathernecks.
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