Kansas City
Kansas Christian (Exh.)
Hot Shooting Roos Roll in Exhibition, 115-50
11/5/2016 6:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – UMKC women's basketball used lights-out shooting in its 2016 exhibition match to beat Kansas Christian College 115-50 at Municipal Auditorium on Saturday afternoon.
UMKC shot lights out from the field from the onset of the game, hitting 50 percent of its shots in the first quarter on 12-for-24 shooting. The Roos proved to be even more efficient in the second quarter, shooting 60 percent from the field, ending the half knocking down a total of 55.1 percent of their shots.
Defensively, UMKC held Kansas Christian to just 20 percent (6-for-30) shooting from the floor in the first half, and 29 percent (18-for-62) on the game. The Roos picked up nine steals in the game and three blocked shots to aid the defensive efforts.
“I think this exhibition was just the culmination of the entire month of October,” head coach Marsha Frese said. “We have really been defining roles and what our rotations are going to look like. I think heading into our season opener we have a really good idea of what that rotation looks like, and I am excited that our players got some confidence in those positions.”
All 15 players saw the court in the exhibition opener, with each player picking up nine-plus minutes of action, and five players reached double-digits in scoring. Junior forward Kiana Law (Pittsburgh, Pa.) picked up a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but it was preseason All-WAC first-teamer Aries Washington (Kansas City, Mo.) that led the Roos in scoring with 19 points, shooting 9-for-11 from the floor. There was no lack of team sharing in the exhibition, as 31 of the team's 48 made shots came off assists, with five players recording at least four.
Though it was the first game this season for UMKC, there was no denying a major presence of team chemistry, something Frese contributes to the team's summer trip overseas.
“It was invaluable to be able to take that trip to Italy in the summer,” Frese said. “We can't thank our administration enough. For them to allow us to take that trip, heading into a season where we have the most experience in my tenure here at UMKC, couldn't have scripted it better myself.
“These kids have that hunger you like to see as a coach, they have experience under their belt, and they are ready to go. Italy really gave us that opportunity to build our team chemistry, and you can see that on the court with how comfortable they are sharing the ball.”
UMKC will get to display their chemistry in the regular season opener on Nov. 11, as they welcome Tulsa to Swinney Recreation Center.
“We are ready to go,” Frese said. “Italy really extended our practices, and they are tired of playing against each other. They are excited to get out there and get an official game under their belts against different faces.”
The Roos' home opener is set for a 7 p.m. tip on UMKC's campus. The game will be streamed live through the UMKC Athletics website at UMKCKangaroos.com/LiveEvents, and will have live stats available at UMKCStats.com.
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