Kansas City
3-6,0-0Summit League
SIUE
5-2,0-0OVC
Late Run Propels SIUE Over Kansas City
11/26/2022 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kansas City drew close late, but did not have enough to complete the comeback over the Cougars
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The effects of playing four games in six days showed this evening as Kansas City Men's Basketball fell to SIUE, 64-54. The Roos held the Cougars to 31.3% shooting, but shot at a 32.3% clip themselves and hit just 18.8% of their three-point shots.
It was a game of runs as the Roos would consistently cut into the SIUE lead, tying the game or briefly taking the lead. However, the Cougars always had a response, using second chance points and 85.7% free throw shooting to provide distance late in the game.
Allen David Mukeba Jr. provided a spark for Kansas City, scoring a career-high 15 points. He was active in other ways as well, pulling down eight rebounds, taking two steals and logging an assist and a block each. Shemarri Allen was the only other Roo to reach double-digits, scoring 14 points.
KEY MOMENTS
- 1H - 9:27 / 12-11 | Mukeba scored on back-to-back possessions - once on a pull up jumper and then using a move underneath the basket and finishing over two defenders - to give Kansas City its first lead since it was 2-0. SIUE scored the game's next nine points to reclaim the lead and force a Roo timeout.
- 1H - 2:56 / 21-22 | A flopping technical foul was called on the Cougars, resulting in a made free throw by Allen. Precious C. Idiaru then found Emmanouil Dimou for a three-pointer from the wing and on the ensuing possession, Dimou went over the top of the defense to Mukeba for an easy layup to bring the Roos back within a point.
1H | The vision by @dimou_manos to set up @h23_jr ?? pic.twitter.com/IRTXHrvv7n
— Kansas City Men's Basketball (@KCRoosMBB) November 27, 2022
- 2H - 17:09 / 34-30 | Kansas City went on a six-point run to take the lead. It started with Mukeba ripping a steal away right underneath the basket and converting on an and one. Following a SIUE three-point miss, Allen pulled the rebound down and went the other way, dishing to Dimou in the corner for a wide-open three-pointer.
- 2H - 11:34 / 38-37 | After SIUE went on a seven-point run to reclaim the lead, Jevin Sullivan used a pump fake to get his man in the air and drove to the rim, finishing the layup and giving Kansas City a one-point advantage.
- 2H - 2:36 / 53-55 | SIUE opened up a lead that got as large as 10, but the Roos put together an eight-point run, using four points from Tyler Andrews and four from Allen. The Cougars would finish the game on a 9-1 run to secure the victory.
STATS TO NOTE
- Mukeba finished with 15 points, his career-high and his fourth time scoring in double-digits this season.
- The Roos gave up 19 offensive rebounds to the Cougars, resulting in 19 second chance points.
- Jeff Ngandu blocked three shots, tying his career-high and bringing his season average to 1.4 blocks per game.
- The Roos went 13-of-22 from the free throw line for a 59.1% conversion rate, their second-lowest in a game this year.
COACH MARVIN MENZIES, QUOTED
"This wasn't an Xs and Os debacle as much as it was a lack of urgency and understanding of how to play four games in six days. You can't think that you'll be able to just roll the ball out and look at a team's KenPom ratings and think that you'll be okay. You've got to respect the opponent."
"It's frustrating, because I know that we're better than this. With (Anderson Kopp) out, we have to play better than this. We have to play the type of basketball that we're capable of, or we're going to come up short against quality opponents."
UP NEXT
Kansas City remains at home for a game on Tuesday evening, taking on Idaho State at 7 p.m. in the Swinney Center. The Roos and Bengals played last season, with the Roos claiming a 74-58 victory.
