Kansas City
Bakersfield
Runners Down ?Roos In February Opener
2/4/2016 10:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
(Kansas City, Mo.) – Samantha Waldron tied her career-high with 19 points and set a new career-high with four steals in UMKC women's basketball's 78-68 loss to Bakersfield on Thursday night in WAC play at the Swinney Recreation Center.
“I can't fault our effort,” Head Coach Marsha Frese said. “We definitely fought for forty minutes. Defensively, we just did a poor job, especially on their all-conference center Zempare. They did a good job of getting her touches early and getting her into a rhythm. Credit to Bakersfield, they shot the ball very, very well tonight. We just had a hard time taking them out of their rhythm down the stretch.”
On the night, Waldron knocked down a career-high eight field goals on just 12 shots and added four rebounds, while Ceidra Coleman reached a new career-high, scoring 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting with four rebounds and two assists.
Kristen Moore, meanwhile, added 11 points and five rebounds and Kiana Law finished with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals.
With the loss, UMKC falls to 7-14 overall and 2-6 in the WAC, while CSUB improves to 7-16 on the season and 4-4 in the conference.
In the game, the Roadrunners scored the first seven points and extended the lead to eight at 10-2. The lead remained at eight at 12-4, but five free throws from Moore, one from Coleman and a jumper by Waldron knotted the game at 12-12.
Bakersfield followed by stretching the lead to a first quarter-high of nine before Aries Washington closed the quarter with a layup off a Paige Husa assist to make 23-16 heading into the second stanza.
To start the second, Bakersfield stretched the lead to 12 before baskets from Waldron and Taylor Leathers brought the margin back down to eight.
The lead would sit between eight and 12 the rest of the half with Moore and Waldron closing the half on back-to-back field goals to make it 36-28 at the break.
Coming out of halftime, the lead grew to a game-high 13 a minute in, but baskets from Moore and Coleman and a three from Daijane Dillard quickly trimmed the deficit to six.
The margin would grow back to 12 late in the period, before a jumper from Waldron and a free throw by Coleman cut it to 53-44 entering the final period of play.
In the third, the lead once gain grew to double digits, but a three from Waldron and a layup from Law closed the margin to 60-55 with just under five minutes left to play.
The lead remained at five at the 3:38 mark, but that would be as close as the Kangaroos would get the rest of the way as CSUB came away with the win.
As a team, the 'Roos held a 30-28 edge on the glass and a 24-15 advantage in bench scoring.
The Blue & Gold will be back in action again on Saturday when they welcome in Seattle to Kansas City for a 1 p.m. tilt at the Swinney Recreation Center.
