Kansas City
2-4,0-0Summit League
University of Toledo
4-3,1-0MAC
McKissic Drops 21 as Roos Fall to Rockets
12/12/2020 2:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kansas City dominated in the paint and off of turnovers, but the game was decided at the free throw line
TOLEDO, Ohio - Brandon McKissic dropped 21 points and Josiah Allick added 13, but Kansas City Men's Basketball (2-4) could not overcome 23 Toledo free throws in a 64-57 decision.
"We saw improvement, and we will continue to do so," Head Coach Billy Donlon said. "Toledo has a great program and this game will make us better."
The Roos and Rockets traded punches coming out of the gates, playing to a 18-18 tie through the first 10 minutes. McKissic was the Roos' best source of offense in the first half, scoring 10 of KC's first 18 and finishing the first half with 16 points.
Kansas City had trouble finding offense anywhere else, however, with no other player scoring more than six points in the first frame. Demarius Pitts, in his second-straight start, provided six with four coming from the charity stripe.
Toledo expanded a 10-point lead going into the intermission, but the Roos came out with fire in the second half. Allick got a pair of buckets to go inside, and Zion Williams added a lay-in of his own to cut the Rocket's lead to four in the first three minutes.
From there, the teams traded short runs. Toledo expanded the lead to eight, the Roos cut it back down to four. Kansas City would get within three, Toledo would jump back out to a nine-point advantage.Â
With five minutes remaining, the Rockets' lead stood at 10 but Kansas City continued to fight. Franck Kamgain and Allick dropped in back-to-back triples to cut the lead down to four, the Roos got a stop and McKissic added a free throw to bring the Roos within a possession with just over two minutes remaining.Â
The Rockets did not make a single field goal in the final eight minutes, but were able to use eight free throws over that stretch to pull out the victory.
Kansas City out-shot Toledo from the field on the day, but for the second game in a row, lost the free throw battle decisively. The Roos dropped in 22 field goals as compared to Toledo's 17, but the Rockets won by 16 points at the charity stripe.
The Roos were able to get good production inside of the lane, outscoring the Rockets 32-to-16 in the paint. They also won the turnover battle for the fourth time this season, forcing the Rockets into 17 giveaways.
Kansas City is back in action on Dec. 15 & 16 as they take on Spurgeon College in the Swinney Center at 6 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on the Roo Sports Network.
