Men's Basketball Storms Back to Beat Bison

Thursday, January 20

Kansas City, Mo.

7:00 PM

Kansas City

9-8,3-3Summit League

North Dakota State

11-7,3-3Summit League

North Dakota St.

Kansas City

Photo by: Ryan Weaver Photography

Men's Basketball Storms Back to Beat Bison

1/20/2022 10:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Arkel Lamar dropped a career-high-tying 24 points while Marvin Nesbitt Jr. contributed 18

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A second half scoring flurry set the stage for a 14-point Kansas City Men's Basketball (9-8, 3-3) comeback over North Dakota State (11-7, 3-3) this evening, 80-77. The Roos went on a 21-0 run over the span of 8:11 to flip the script of the game, holding NDSU to 34.6% shooting in the second half. Arkel Lamar led the Roos' scoring efforts, dropping a career-high-tying 24 points and adding six rebounds.

KEY MOMENTS

1H / 4-4 | Marvin Nesbitt Jr. scored the Roos' first two buckets of the night to keep up with the Bison
1H / 8-13 | Nesbitt threw a touchdown pass over the NDSU defense straight to Shemarri Allen who got the fast break bucket to go.
1H / 17-20 | Jack Chapman was there to clean up a miss on the offensive end, rising up and dropping in the layup.
1H / 30-41 | Evan Gilyard II got going with his first field goal of the day, sparking a 7-0 Kansas City run to end the first half.
2H / 41-52 | Lamar knocked down his first three-pointer of the day at a much needed time to keep KC within striking distance.

2H | Arkel's first three of the game comes at the right time. He's got 15.#ROOUP | #DeclareKC pic.twitter.com/NMPO8B2Rk1
— Kansas City Men's Basketball (@KCRoosMBB) January 21, 2022

2H / 45-57 | After the Bison tied their largest lead of the game, Lamar got a second chance bucket that began a 21-point run for the Roos.
2H / 50-57 | Tim Barnes found an opening along the sideline, rising up for a momentum-shifting dunk.

When Tim gets an opening, get out of the way. Smart business decision ??#ROOUP | @TimothyJamalBa2 pic.twitter.com/Pa3i9e4SYs
— Kansas City Men's Basketball (@KCRoosMBB) January 21, 2022

2H / 57-57 | Gilyard put on a show, isolating his defender and hitting a turnaround jumper to tie the game up.
2H / 60-57 | Coming out of the under-eight timeout, the Roos' run continued when Nesbitt found Anderson Kopp for a wide-open three and gave KC their first lead of the night.

2H | Anderson Kopp. Dead eye. Roos lead. Let's go.#ROOUP | #DeclareKC pic.twitter.com/8lCrnjRYQz
— Kansas City Men's Basketball (@KCRoosMBB) January 21, 2022

2H / 64-57 | Jacob Johnson got a second chance bucket to cap off the Roos' big run.
2H / 73-67 | Nesbitt showed his court vision once again, making a long outlet pass to Lamar for his final points of the night.
2H / 80-77 | With just 14 seconds remaining, Sam Martin drew a charge and the Roos would hold on to win the game.

STATS TO NOTE

Lamar tied his career-high and bested his Roo high with 24 points and 10 made field goals. His previous 24-point game came during his time at UMBC on Nov. 18, 2017.
Kansas City came back to win from a 10-point-or-more second-half deficit for the first time since Nov. 22, 2019 vs. George Washington.
Barnes was a spark plug off the bench for the Roos, recording a game-high plus-minus of plus-24 in his 18 minutes.
Nesbitt Jr. filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a career-high eight field goals made.
The Roos committed fewer turnovers than their opponent for the seventh consecutive game, committing just nine and forcing 17.
Kansas City held their own against the strong NDSU front court, compiling a 40-26 advantage in points in the paint.
Gilyard was a steady presence late in the game for the Roos, knocking down seven clutch free throws in the final 2:02.

THE ROOS, QUOTED

Assistant Coach Matt Vest

"We gave up a little too much in the first half, not guarding the ball like we usually do. But, one possession at a time our guys toughed it out, at times it wasn't pretty but we found a way."
"We've been emphasizing getting the ball in the paint and trying to make teams guard us. Arkel and Marvin are a little undersized but they bother people when they face-up and use their speed."

Arkel Lamar

"I have to give credit to my teammates. They tell me to stay in the groove and not overthink it. When I start missing I can get in my head, but they're on my side telling me to keep going."
"We got rattled in the first half and weren't executing like we were supposed to. In the second half, we figured it out and got it done."

Marvin Nesbitt Jr.

"We practice hard every day. Coach instilled in us work ethic, hard work and toughness. That's our culture and our mindset. You can never count us out."
"Every game is a slow grind. No matter how down you get or how big of a lead you have, college basketball can change that quick. I just try to stay level through every game."

UP NEXT
The Roos look to close their six-game home stand with a winning record, taking on North Dakota on Saturday at 7 p.m.