WAC Champions Prepare to Honor Senior Class

Saturday, March 7

Kansas City, MO

2:00 PM

Kansas City

Seattle U (Senior Day)

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WAC Champions Prepare to Honor Senior Class

3/6/2020 2:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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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.