Nesbitt's Career Night Leads KC Past WIU

Saturday, February 5

Kansas City, Mo.

7:00 PM

Kansas City

15-9,8-4Summit League

Western Illinois

14-10,5-7Summit League

Western Ill.

Kansas City

Photo by: Kansas City Athletics

Nesbitt's Career Night Leads KC Past WIU

2/5/2022 10:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Final Box Final Box (PDF)Postgame Interview

Marvin Nesbitt Jr. posted 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting to give the Roos a season sweep of WIU

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Despite having only eight players suited up, Kansas City Men's Basketball (15-9, 8-4) rallied behind a career night from Marvin Nesbitt Jr. to defeat Western Illinois, 91-82. Five Roos finished in double-digit scoring, led by 26 on 10-of-17 shooting from Nesbitt. With the win, KC has won seven of its last eight, including six-of-seven Summit League contests.

KEY MOMENTS

1H / 4-0 | Nesbitt got started early before finding himself in foul trouble, scoring the Roos' first four points.
1H / 10-6 | Shemarri Allen jumped a Leatherneck pass for a steal, and followed up a Sam Martin miss with a put-back slam dunk.
1H / 19-9 | Anderson Kopp's first three-pointer of the night gave the Roos a double-digit lead early.

1H | Anderson gets loose and knocks down his first three of the game ?? Six Roos in the scoring column already.#ROOUP | @anderson_kopp pic.twitter.com/xQW4TbjLVv
— Kansas City Men's Basketball (@KCRoosMBB) February 6, 2022

1H / 26-24 | After WIU came storming back to tie the game, Evan Gilyard II cut through the lane and finished over a defender.
1H / 36-37 | With the Leathernecks threatening to create separation, Kopp knocked down back-to-back threes to keep the game tight.
2H / 43-39 | Caden Boser took a pass from Gilyard and knocked down a triple for the Roos' first points of the second half.
2H / 55-52 | As the teams traded baskets, Nesbitt knocked down a shot in the paint to spark a seven-point Kansas City run.
2H / 73-62 | Nesbitt scored 10-straight points for the Roos to open up the largest lead of the game.

2H | That's a career-high for Marvin Nesbitt Jr. ????#ROOUP | @marvin_nesbitt pic.twitter.com/NdRjH6kZx6
— Kansas City Men's Basketball (@KCRoosMBB) February 6, 2022

2H / 79-74 | Western Illinois threatened to chip back into the game, but a give-and-go from Arkel Lamar to Allen kept KC in front.
2H / 91-82 | The Roos knocked down their final nine free throw attempts in the last two minutes to seal the win.

STATS TO NOTE

Nesbitt recorded a career-high 26 points and 10 made field goals and tied his career-high with 3 blocks.
Kansas City's 91 points are their most in a conference game since a 102-72 victory over Seattle U on February 11, 2017.
Allen set career-highs in points and rebounds, scoring 11 points and grabbing seven boards.
Kansas City set a season-high with seven blocks, their first game with at least seven blocks since January 25, 2020 vs. California Baptist.
Boser shot 1-for-2 from three-point range and is now shooting 10-for-12 from three over the last four games. He also set a career-high with two blocks.
Kopp steadied the Roos with 14 points and 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range in a team-high 35 minutes.
The Roos committed less turnovers than their opponent for the 14^th consecutive game.
Lamar fought through a sore ankle to fill the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal.

THE ROOS, QUOTED

Head Coach Billy Donlon

On Nesbitt's career night
- "It doesn't surprise me. Marv has been a really good player for three years. He guards multiple positions and he's playing out of position because of our injury situation. He's our back-up five right now, which makes a matchup problem for the other team, which you saw tonight."
On Shemarri Allen's game
- "Shemarri is really growing. You see that a lot with junior college players a lot in January or February, they make a jump. And he's making the jump."

Marvin Nesbitt Jr.

On the team's chemistry
- "Coach preaches culture every day. We love each other. We love going to war with each other. That's just us, that's our bond … I feel like this team, this year is special. We have a good bond, our chemistry is great and we love playing for each other."

UP NEXT
The Roos will travel to St. Paul, Minn. on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for their rescheduled road contest with St. Thomas. The Roos defeated the Tommies 81-72 on Thursday.