Kansas City
5-5,0-0WAC
Missouri
3-7,0-0SEC
Women's Basketball Picks up Second-Ever Win over Missouri
12/8/2019 6:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Roos Use Fourth Quarter Spurt to Secure Win over Tigers
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - If there was one category that Kansas City wanted to make sure they won against Missouri, it was in rebounding. After being out-boarded by 26 against Omaha on Wednesday, the Roos had focused all week on being physical and being in position. The focus paid off for Kansas City; they pulled down 44 rebounds to Missouri's 30, and defeated the Tigers for the first time since 1991, 59-56.
"We knew that if we would've done our job against Omaha that game would've turned out differently," Head Coach Jacie Hoyt said. "We've had bloody lips this week, concussions, we've had it all. They played that hard in practice and I'm so happy as a coach for that to pay off."
Missouri outpaced the Roos in the first quarter. After Kansas City scored the game's first five points, the Tigers answered with a 17-2 run, holding the Roos to 26.7% shooting on the frame. The Roos committed 10 turnovers, allowing Missouri to score seven points in transition.
From there, the Roos began chipping away at the Tigers' lead, slowly but surely. They were helped by an unlikely duo in the second quarter. Jonaie Johnson dropped six points, besting her season-high of four set against Rockhurst in the second quarter alone. Beside her, Mandy Willems hit a pair of threes in the second. Willems, who led the nation at all collegiate levels in three-pointers made last year, was on a cold streak, having been held scoreless in the Roos' last two games. She found her stroke at a good time for the Roos, keeping them within striking distance at half.
Through the first 20 minutes of play, Missouri seemed to be in a good position. They had held Ericka Mattingly scoreless in the first half, her longest stretch without a bucket this season. The dam broke in the third quarter, as Mattingly exploded for 14 points on 5-5 shooting. She scored or assisted on 84% of Kansas City's points in the quarter and the Roos drew within one going into the final frame.
"I had the momentum behind me," Mattingly said. "I just knew that my teammates needed me to step up because I had a rough first half, and that's what I did for them."
The fourth quarter would be a battle of attrition for both sides. Missouri scored the first five points of the frame, holding the Roos without a point for the first 5:13. Mattingly was finally able to break the scoring drought with a layup, Emily Ivory scored her first five points of the game, and the Roos were given their first lead since the 6:50 mark of the first quarter.
Missouri responded with a layup of their own to briefly reclaim the lead, but Awal Ajak had an answer. With the Tigers' Amber Smith skying in her direction, Ajak took a pass from Mattingly, pulled up from the top of the arc and found nothing but the bottom of the net, giving Kansas City the lead for good.
"I wasn't really thinking during that shot," Ajak said. "I just knew I had to make it."
From defense to rebounding to three point shooting, the victory was just what the doctor ordered for the Roos following their last performance against Omaha. The atmosphere in the locker room was one of "pure joy," according to Hoyt.
"I think that this is definitely going to spark something big for us," Mattingly said. "We just have to keep rolling."
The victory brings the Roos back to .500, with a shot to move back to positive territory next Saturday against Kansas State in Municipal Auditorium.
Game Notes
The victory is Kansas City's first against a Power Five opponent since the Roos' 47-44 victory over Kansas on December 10, 2015 … Jonaie Johnson finished with 10 points, a season-high … Jada Mickens pulled down 10 rebounds, her third double-digit rebounding game … Every Roo that entered the game found the scoring column … Kansas City's only other victory over the Tigers came on November 25, 1991, a 60-58 victory in Columbia … The Roos committed 24 turnovers, a season-high … Tajah Foster-Walker blocked three shots, her fourth multi-block game of the year … Ericka Mattingly has led the Roos in scoring in six of their first 11 games
