Kansas City
3-1,0-0Summit League
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
2-2,0-0OVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | 19 | 33 | 22 | 15 | 89 |
| SIUE | 17 | 19 | 20 | 25 | 81 |
Three-Pointers Flow as Roos Knock Off Cougars
12/12/2020 4:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Naomie Alnatas finishes with a career-high 23 points; Five Roos score in double digits
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Kansas City Women's Basketball (3-1) knocked down 56% of its three-point shots on the day, including nine in the second quarter, and the Roos were able to hold off an SIUE (2-2) comeback attempt to grab an 89-81 victory over the Cougars.
"I was proud of our win today because it took everyone doing their part in order to get it," Head Coach Jacie Hoyt said.Â
Naomie Alnatas provided automatic offense for the Roos in the first half, besting her previous career-high of 17 points by halftime. Alnatas knocked home 8-of-9 field goal attempts in the first 20 minutes give her 20 points by the intermission. She hit on one more three-pointer in the second half, finishing with a game-high 23.
"Mimie got us off to a great start," Hoyt said. "She's been practicing with a lot of urgency and hunger so I was happy to see that pay off for her."
After playing the first ten minutes to a 19-17 Roo advantage, Kansas City jumped on the Cougars in the second quarter. Emily Ivory, Alnatas and Paige Bradford each bottomed a three coming out of the quarter break and the buckets did not stop for the rest of the frame.
Sanaa' St. Andre stood out in the second quarter, putting up 12 points and knocking down two three-pointers. Her second quarter performance earned her court time for the rest of the game, finishing with over 27 minutes. She finished the game with a complete stat line, posting 16 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals.Â
"Sanaa' is a fearless player, and her aggression to make things happen is something our team needs as we are learning about ourselves and our new identity this year," Hoyt said.
The Roos maintained their lead through the third quarter, relying on Paige Bradford's efforts inside. Bradford went for 10 points in the third quarter alone, finishing with 19 to go along with six assists and five rebounds.Â
Kansas City outscored SIUE 10-2 in the paint in the third frame, entering the fourth quarter with an 18-point advantage.
The Roos extended the lead to 21 on a Bradford layup with 8:48 remaining, but then the Cougars came roaring back. SIUE switched into a full-court press that caused problems for the Roos, forcing seven fourth quarter turnovers. The Cougars rattled off an 11-0 run to bring themselves back within 10 and suddenly a sure-win for the Roos was in question.
The Cougars whittled the Kansas City lead down to five points with four minutes remaining, but the Roos hit three of their final four field goal attempts to ice the game.
"I thought our team learned a lot in the fourth quarter today," Hoyt said. "You never want to give up a lead the way we did, but we figured it out when it was all said and done. I'm confident this group will work hard to correct those mistakes in the future."
Five Roos finished with double-digit scoring on the day, as Emily Ivory dropped 11 points and RaVon Nero added 10 of her own.
The Roos will take tomorrow off before jumping back into action in a big matchup with Kansas State on Monday at 6:30 p.m. The Roos will look to avenge last season's 74-67 loss at the hands of the Wildcats as the teams face off on ESPN+.
