WBB: Five Things to Know vs. Grand Canyon

KANSAS CITY - The Kansas City Women's Basketball team (15-9, 8-2) rolls into the Swinney Center sporting a five-game win streak and the top spot in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) for a battle with second-place Grand Canyon (12-8, 7-2). Thursday marks the final "Yell Out in Yellow" game, as the first 250 fans will receive a themed t-shirt.

The Roos hold sole possession of first-place in the WAC standings, one-half game in front of Grand Canyon. With six regular-season games remaining, the Roos are seeking their first-ever Division I conference championship.
Kansas City has won 15 games so far this season with six games remaining on the schedule. The Roos need just one win to match their season total from 2018-19, and with two wins would earn their second 17 win season in the past two decades (2011-12).
After scoring 16 points in last Saturday's victory over New Mexico State, senior Ericka Mattingly has 982 points as a Roo. With just 18 more points, she would become the 15th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000 point mark. Her current career scoring average of 17.9 points per game sits at second in program history.
The Roos are currently on a five-game win streak, their longest since the 2011-12 team rattled off seven-straight spanning from mid-February to early March, when they lost in the Summit League Championship Game.
Jonaie Johnson has seen her scoring take a large uptick since entering the starting lineup on Dec. 8 against Missouri. In the first nine games of the year, she averaged just 1.7 points per game. Versus the Tigers, she had her first double-digit scoring game of the year, and since then has averaged 8.7 points per game.

Last Time Out: KC def. NM State, 55-50 (2/8/20)

Johnson netted a career-high 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting to lead the Roos to a season sweep of the Aggies.
Plagued by foul trouble in the first half, Mattingly went into the break with just three points. She responded in the second half by knocking down a pair of threes and seven free throws to end the game with 16 points.
While it was a close game throughout, the Roos commanded the lead for a vast majority of the game. The Aggies led briefly in the second quarter, but Kansas City had control of the lead for 36:09.

Last Time Against Grand Canyon: KC won, 74-53 (1/18/20)

The Jan. 18 win was the beginning of the Roos' five-game win streak.
After trailing 16-10 at the end of the first quarter, the Roos opened the second frame on a 17-1 run and never looked back.
Mattingly stuffed the stat sheet, sending home 15 points to go along with eight assists, six rebounds and five steals.
Kansas City shot 29-of-59 from the field for a season-high 49.2% field goal percentage.

All-Time Series vs. Grand Canyon

Kansas City took the all-time advantage over the Lopes in their last meeting. The Roos now hold a 7-6 edge over Grand Canyon.
Head Coach Jacie Hoyt maintained her perfect record against the Lopes, moving to 5-0 all-time.
In games played in Kansas City, the two programs have each won three games against each other.
The teams have played to an overtime battle just once in the past, an 84-82 Kansas City victory on Feb. 1, 2018.

WBB: Five Things to Know vs. Grand Canyon

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Players Mentioned

Jonaie Johnson

Ericka Mattingly

WBB: Five Things to Know vs. Grand Canyon

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jonaie Johnson

Ericka Mattingly

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