Kansas City
2-1,0-0Summit League
William Jewell College (Mo.)
1-4,1-3GLVC
Hoyt Earns 50th Career Win as Roos Dismantle Cardinals
12/9/2020 9:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Paige Bradford posted double-double, Jonaie Johnson dished out nine assists in win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Paige Bradford posted her second double-double of the year, Jonaie Johnson nearly earned a triple-double and Head Coach Jacie Hoyt grabbed her 50th career win as the Roos dismantled William Jewell on Wednesday evening, 80-60.
"Our team focused on fixing all of the things that we didn't feel like we were very good at on Sunday," Hoyt said. "I thought they did a good job of adjusting and responding to make the changes that we needed to."
Four Roos reached double digit scoring on the day, led by Naomie Alnatas, who finished with 15 points and a career-high four steals. Bradford finished with 14, Taylor Larson added 11 and Johnson dropped in 10 to lead the Roos to victory.
Kansas City came out of the gates hot, jumping out to a 28-9 lead in the first quarter. Alnatas knocked down a three and got a quick layup in the first minute in a half, and Larson hit her first triple in over a season in the middle of the run.
Larson finished the day 5-of-6 from the field, a career-high in field goals. It was her first double digit scoring game since the 2018-19 season. She also pulled down four rebounds, following up her ten-rebound performance in the exhibition against Rockhurst.
"Taylor is that player that is going to do whatever we need her to do. She's been working on her shot a lot more this year which has given her more confidence," Hoyt said. "It was really good to see those go down because she's such a hard worker."
The Cardinals' offense began to heat up in the second quarter, notching 22 points and cutting the Roos' lead to seven at one point. Kansas City closed the half on a 5-0 run, entering intermission with a 45-33 lead.
Johnson shared the ball with ease all night, finishing with a career-high nine assists. She dished out five in the first half, nearly reaching her previous high of six assists in just 20 minutes of play.
"We've got a big void to fill in losing Ericka (Mattingly). I think Jo's done a good job in terms of her leadership. Her game is different than Ericka's, so it's going to look different, but we need Jo to move the ball and distribute it," Hoyt said.
Kansas City closed out the game in the second half, taking eight steals away from the Cardinals. Bradford pulled down her 10th rebound of the game early in the fourth quarter, finishing with 12 total. It was her second double-double, following her 15 point, 13 rebound performance against Northwest Missouri State.
"We need her to do that consistently," Hoyt said. "When she's locked in and focused, she's very capable. That's something we're working on is just being more consistent with that mindset."
The win was Hoyt's 50th of her Kansas City career, reaching that mark in 95 games. In her fourth year with the Roos, she has already made her mark in program history. She has led the Roos to their first 20-win season since 2011-12 last season and earning the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history.
Kansas City will take a couple of days off before traveling to Edwardsville, Ill. on Saturday to take on SIUE.
