Kansas City
5-6,0-0WAC
Kansas State
5-4,0-0Big 12
Women's Basketball Outlasted by Kansas State in Close Game
12/14/2019 6:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Roos Led for 13 more Minutes than Wildcats, but Finish Game with Six Minute Scoring Drought
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City women's basketball team wanted to follow up its first victory over a Power Five opponent since 2015 strongly against another Power Five team in the Big 12's Kansas State. The Roos proved that they can hang with any team and led the game for nearly 24 minutes, but in the end the size of the Wildcats prevailed and the Roos fell, 74-67.
"(Kansas State) was relentless on the glass, they have two of the best post players in the country," Head Coach Jacie Hoyt said. "I did really appreciate the fight and the grit that our team showed."
Hoyt referred to the Wildcats' Peyton Williams and Ayoka Lee, who each finished with double-doubles and combined for 29 rebounds.
The Roos were in command on the offensive end of the court from the tip, pouring in 20 points in the first quarter. It came via a widespread attack, as six different Roos reached the points column.
Despite Kansas State's obvious size advantage, the Roos were still able to make a living in the paint. The Roos and Wildcats both scored 32 points in the lane, and Kansas City was led by Cristina Soriano's 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
"I thought (the bigs) did a great job of finding our guards against the zone," Hoyt said. "I still want them to be more aggressive and finish through contact and not back down from size like that."
After trailing by six going in to the half, Kansas City exploded in the third quarter. The Roos forced the Wildcats into six turnovers, converting them into nine points. Ericka Mattingly dropped six points, three assists and three steals in the third quarter alone, finishing with 18/8/7. The Roos outscored the Wildcats by 10, taking a four point lead into the final quarter.
"Ericka is a pro, and she's playing like a pro," Hoyt said. "The numbers that she's putting up against Power Five teams speaks to that. She's a competitor, and she checks every box for us."
Kansas City came out firing in the fourth, extending its lead to six with just 5:57 remaining following an Emily Ivory three. After that, the Wildcats size wore down the Roos, and they finished the game on a 13-0 run.
Despite the loss, the Roos have put other teams on notice with their last two performances. After beating Missouri, a team that qualified for the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2019, the Roos fought tooth and nail with Kansas State, another 2019 NCAA Tournament team.
"We just need to keep trusting the process," Hoyt said. "Keep buying in to what we're doing, and keep focusing on rebounding."
The Roos will have time to recoup before hosting Liberty, Bradley and Eastern Washington in the 2019 edition of the Roo Holiday Classic, hosted at the Swinney Center on Friday and Saturday.
Game Notes
The loss drops the Roos to 3-10 all time against the Wildcats, including seven straight victories for K-State … The Roos started the game with Jonaie Johnson, Ericka Mattingly, Awal Ajak, Tajah Foster-Walker and Cristina Soriano, their fifth unique starting lineup of the season … Mattingly's eight assists and seven steals were both season-highs … In her second straight start, Jonaie Johnson finished with five points, four assists and three rebounds … The Roos scored over 60 points for the first time in four games … The Wildcats outscored the Roos by 12 points from the free throw line
