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Kansas City
11-9,4-2WAC
Grand Canyon
7-8,2-2WAC
Johnson Drops Career-High, Women's Basketball Runs Past GCU
1/18/2020 5:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PHOENIX, Ariz. - When Jonaie Johnson plays well, the Kansas City women's basketball team (11-9, 4-2 WAC) plays well. This much has been established. After playing the first nine games of the season off of the bench and never scoring more than four points, Johnson has started each of the Roos' last 11 games, dropping an average of 9.0 points per game over that stretch. She poured in a career-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting in today's 74-53 victory over Grand Canyon (7-8, 2-2 WAC), moving Kansas City to 6-0 on the year when Johnson reaches double-digits.
"Jo has continued to improve for us and get her groove every game," Head Coach Jacie Hoyt said. "She is our hardest worker, and you love to see that get rewarded."
The first ten minutes were slow going for Kansas City, as they allowed the Lopes to shoot 50% from the field and turned the ball over seven times. All the Roos needed was the quarter break, as they opened the second quarter on a 17-1 run, jumping out to a 10-point lead. Kansas City's defense led the charge, forcing six GCU turnovers and holding them to 11.1% shooting in the second frame.
"Our zone was really good today. I thought our team took it to another level in defending their action," Hoyt said. "We got a lot of steals and deflections in it, which was very disruptive for them."
The Roos continued to create separation in the third, led by Ericka Mattingly. She dropped four points in the third, but more impressive was her distribution. Mattingly found Emily Ivory for a pair of three-point buckets, Jada Mickens for another, and Jonaie Johnson once in the lane for her fourth assist of the quarter. She ended the game with a season-high eight assists, to go along with 15 points, six rebounds and five steals.
"Ericka was just really solid for us today," Hoyt said. "Her stat line across the board, along with her poise, is exactly what we need from her."
Kansas City avoids back-to-back losses with the victory, responding well to Thursday's stumble at CSU Bakersfield. The Roos are now 8-1 on the season in games following a loss.
"I'm proud of our team for the way they bounced back after Bakersfield," Hoyt said. "Our kids responded well, every single one of them. That's what it takes to win games, especially on the road."
At 4-2, the Roos now hold sole possession of the third spot in the Western Athletic Conference. They will be challenged next weekend as they take on California Baptist, who was picked to take second in preseason polls, on Saturday at home.
Game Notes
After six games, Cristina Soriano's double-double streak was brought to an end. She finished with 10 points and four rebounds, adding a career-high four steals … Jonaie Johnson finished with a career-high 16 points, besting her previous mark of 15, set against Seattle U last season … The Roos shot 49.2% from the field, their best performance of the season … Kansas City forced the Lopes into 22 turnovers, converting that into 20 points … The Roos were aided by 29 points off of the bench, led by Emily Ivory with 14
