Saturday, March 7
Kansas City, MO
2:00 PM
Kansas City
vs
Seattle U (Senior Day)
WAC Champions Prepare to Honor Senior Class
3/6/2020 2:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Ajak, Soriano and Mattingly all to be honored after game vs. Seattle U on Saturday at 2 p.m.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fresh off of winning its first-ever regular season conference championship, Kansas City Women's Basketball (19-10, 12-3 WAC) hosts Seattle U for Senior Day in the Swinney Center on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Roos will honor Ericka Mattingly, Cristina Soriano and Awal Ajak as they take the court for their final regular season game in a Roo uniform.
- Kansas City made history with its win over Utah Valley on Thursday, clinching the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) regular season championship and securing the one-seed in the WAC Tournament next week. Previously, the best the Roos had ever finished in conference play was third place (2002-03 & 2003-04). KC will be matched against eight-seed Chicago State in the first round of the conference tournament, played on Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT in Las Vegas.
- In just her third season at the helm, Head Coach Jacie Hoyt has taken the Roos to the top. After a 16-15 record last season, the Roos have guaranteed their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1991-93. Additionally, Kansas City will come into this game seeking its first 20-win season since 2011-12.
- Awal Ajak returned to the limelight in the win over Utah Valley. After missing a stretch of four games in the middle of the conference season, Ajak played over 20 minutes for the first time in over seven weeks. She posted a career-high 19 points, knocking down five three-pointers in the win.
- Balanced scoring has become a staple of this Roo team. They have posted a 16-5 record when at least three players reach double-digit scoring, and a 7-0 record when four-or-more players reach that mark.
- When the three-ball is falling, it generally spells success for the Roos. They hold a 13-3 record on the season when making more shots from behind the arc than their opponent. The Roos are led in the three-point barrage by Emily Ivory, who averages a WAC-best 2.6 three-point makes per game.
Last Time Out: Kansas City def. Utah Valley, 61-53 (3/5/20)
- Early-game foul trouble could not stop the Roos, as they only trailed for 32 seconds en route to clinching their first-ever WAC Championship.
- Awal Ajak led all scorers, sending home a career-high 19 points and pulling down a season-high-tying five rebounds. She was the main contributor of Kansas City's 27 bench points.
- Ericka Mattingly was the other Roo in double digits, finishing with 12 points, three rebounds, five assists and five steals.
- The Roos' three-point defense kept the Wolverines at bay. They finished with just three three-point makes on 18.8% shooting from long range.
- Every Roo that saw the floor grabbed a rebound, but none pulled down more than five. Ajak, Taylor Larson and Jada Mickens each had five boards, leading the team.
Last Time vs. Seattle U: Kansas City won, 76-65 (1/2/20)
- The Roos began conference play on the right note, knocking off the Redhawks behind 22 points from Ericka Mattingly.
- Kansas City owned Seattle U on the glass, winning the rebounding battle, 50-37. Cristina Soriano and Tajah Foster-Walker pulled down 14 and 13 boards, respectively. Each ended the game with a double-double.
- The Roos were dominant in blocking the Redhawks' shots. Kansas City swatted nine Seattle U attempts, led by Soriano, Foster-Walker and Mattingly with two each.
- Kansas City posted season-highs in free throw makes and attempts, putting together a 18-of-26 effort from the stripe.
All-Time Series vs. Seattle U
- The Roos will have a chance to draw even with the Redhawks in the all-time series on Saturday, as Seattle U currently holds an 8-7 advantage.
- Head Coach Jacie Hoyt is 3-2 against the Redhawks, winning each of the last three matchups. The wins have come by an average of 14 points per game.
- There has been just one overtime meeting between the two teams, a 73-71 victory by the Marsha Frese-led Roos on March 6, 2014.
- When playing in Kansas City, the Roos have a 4-2 advantage over the Redhawks.
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