Kansas City
4-9,0-2Summit League
South Dakota State
9-5,2-0Summit League
First Half Struggles Continue as Roos Fall to Jackrabbits
12/21/2022 2:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Sanaa' St. Andre and E'Lease Stafford went for 19 points each to lead KC in the loss
BROOKINGS, S.D. - A strong second half effort was not enough to overcome a slow start for Kansas City Women's Basketball (4-9, 0-2 Summit), falling to Summit League preseason favorite South Dakota State (9-5, 2-0 Summit), 86-54. Sanaa' St. Andre and E'Lease Stafford scored 19 points each to lead the way for Kansas City, accounting for nearly three-quarters of the team's scoring.
The Jackrabbits jumped out to a 19-point lead before the Roos got on the scoreboard, never looking back. A bucket early in the second quarter gave SDSU a 30-point lead, and the Roos would not get any closer for the rest of the game, despite outscoring the Jackrabbits by 10 in the second half.
KEY MOMENTS
- 1Q - 4:16 / 2-19 | South Dakota State got out to a hot start, holding the Roos without a bucket on their first 11 attempts from the field. Rain Green got a steal and then St. Andre found Jocelyn Ewell down low to give the Roos their first points of the day.
- 2Q - 9:12 / 9-33 | St. Andre hit a layup and a three-pointer on KC's first two possessions of the second quarter, giving her seven of the Roos' first nine points. A scoreless drought over the next six-plus minutes would allow SDSU to open the lead even further going into the half.
- 3Q - 2:08 / 31-68 | A jumper by St. Andre capped a 13-4 Kansas City run that spanned three minutes across the third quarter. Amidst the run, Stafford scored five points, St. Andre scored four, Ewell scored two and Manna Mensah scored two.
- 4Q - 6:54 / 44-76 | Machia Mullens dished to an open Stafford for her second three-pointer of the fourth quarter, finishing off an 11-2 run that saw Stafford score eight points.
4Q | @eleasekstafford with her third triple of the day, second of the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/j4xhX3tCiq
— Kansas City Women's Basketball (@KCRoosWBB) December 21, 2022
- 4Q - 0:01 / 54-86 | Ava Murphy finished the day off by nabbing a steal and taking it the other way for a layup as the clock expired, cutting SDSU's winning margin down to 32 points.
STATS TO NOTE
- In her second-career start, her first of the season, Mullens gave Kansas City a rebounding spark and finished with a career-high 12 boards. The performance was her first-ever double-digit rebounding showing.
- St. Andre and Stafford combined for 70% of Kansas City's scoring, shooting a combined 14-of-34 from the field. Ewell was the only other Roo to make more than one field goal attempt, going 2-of-5 from the field.
- South Dakota State was dominant in the paint, scoring 60 points in that category.
- The Roos converted 12 offensive rebounds into 13 second chance points.
- After shooting 17.9% from the field in the first half, the Roos knocked down shots at a 42.9% clip in the second half.
UP NEXT
After a break for the holidays, the Roos will be back in action at home next week, taking on Denver on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.
