Kansas City
3-4,0-0Summit League
Bradley
2-4,0-0MVC
Clutch Free Throws Help Roos Grind Out OT Victory Over Bradley
11/29/2022 2:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Sanaa' St. Andre and E'Lease Stafford hit all four of their free throws in the game's final minute, leading KC to victory
PEORIA, Ill. - Playing in their second overtime game in four days, it was the predictable characters that willed Kansas City Women's Basketball to a 71-68 victory over Bradley this afternoon. Sanaa' St. Andre led all scorers with 22 points, while E'Lease Stafford contributed 20, each breaking the 20-point barrier for the second game in-a-row.
Of Stafford's 20 points, the last two were the biggest. Kansas City led, 69-68, with 13 seconds remaining in overtime, and Bradley in-bounding the ball from underneath its own basket. Stafford intercepted the inbounds pass and knocked down the ensuing free throws, extending the lead to three. The Roos forced a pair of misses in the waning seconds, securing the victory.
While Stafford and St. Andre led the charge, Kansas City's post presence made the big difference. Jocelyn Ewell dropped a career-high 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Making her first-career start, Tamia Ugass netted 12 points, her first-career double-digit performance. The pair, combined with Dani Winslow, pulled down 12 offensive rebounds and Kansas City was benefited with 18 second chance points, compared to just three for the Braves.
KEY MOMENTS
- 1Q - 4:09 / 12-4 | Stafford knocked down her first three-pointer of the day on an assist by Ugass, capping a six-point Kansas City run that extended the lead to eight early.
- 2Q - 8:04 / 24-16 | After an eight-point run by the Braves cut the lead to one, the Roos responded with seven-straight. Stafford found St. Andre for a three to start it off, then got a second chance bucket to go. St. Andre forced a steal and then went the other way, capping the run and opening the lead back out to eight.
- 2Q - 0:40 / 36-26 | St. Andre found Stafford, who hit her third three of the first half to extend Kansas City's lead to double-digits going into the half.
2Q | That's 3? 3?s for @eleasekstafford in the first half. pic.twitter.com/kSsWH3uySt
— Kansas City Women's Basketball (@KCRoosWBB) November 29, 2022
- 3Q - 5:16 / 46-32 | Ugass scored on back-to-back possessions, extending the Roos' lead to 14, the largest of the game.
- 3Q - 0:27 / 53-41 | Winslow found Trinity Moreland underneath the bucket for her lone points of the day and Kansas City took a 12-point lead into the final frame of regulation.
- 4Q - 5:46 / 57-48 | Ewell scored to give Kansas City a nine-point lead, but the Braves would score the next seven-straight to cut the lead to two, and would end regulation on an 11-2 run to force overtime.
- OT - 4:31 / 63-59 | St. Andre opened the overtime period with back-to-back buckets to give the Roos an early advantage, but Bradley would respond to take a two-point lead over the next two minutes.
- OT - 0:11 / 71-68 | With the game tied at 67, Bradley drew a foul, but only hit one-of-two free throws. St. Andre would draw a foul of her own on the next possession, hitting both shots and giving KC a one-point lead. Stafford came up with the steal on the next possession and her free throws would prove to be enough as KC came away with the win.
STATS TO NOTE
- St. Andre reached the 20-point plateau for the fourth time this season, adding four assists and a career-high-tying five steals. She hit 9-of-17 shots, shooting over 50% from the field for the second time this year.
- Stafford's reached the 20-point mark for the third time this season, tying her 2019-20 campaign at ETSU for most 20-point games in a season.
- The Roos have played in back-to-back overtime games for just the fourth time in program history, all of which have come since the 2011-12 season.
- Sixty-nine of KC's 71 points came from Stafford, St. Andre, Ewell and Ugass.
- The Roos dominated the battle of the boards, pulling down 38 to Bradley's 28.
- With the win, Head Coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett has her first-career road victory as a head coach.
UP NEXT
The Roos continue their road trip with a game at Grand Canyon on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. It will be the second meeting between the two squads since Kansas City left the WAC in 2019-20.
