Kansas City Travels to Cedar Falls for WNIT Action

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For the second time in program history, Kansas City Women's Basketball will be participating in the Postseason WNIT. The Roos begin with first round action at Northern Iowa tomorrow at 6 p.m.

WNIT Notes

Kansas City has earned its second-ever Postseason WNIT bid, and the first since 2011-12.
The Roos will be looking for their first-ever WNIT victory, as the 2011-12 run came to a close with a 81-79 loss at Missouri State in the first round.
In that 2011-12 season, the Roos finished 22-12, falling to South Dakota State in a one-point overtime loss in the Summit League Championship Finals.
In 2019-20, the Roos participated in the Preseason WNIT, falling in the opening round at Pacific before splitting consolation decisions with Portland State (W) and Davidson (L) at home.
The Roos will be looking for their second win of the season against a Missouri Valley opponent as they take on Northern Iowa. KC took down eventual MVC regular season champ Southern Illinois on Nov. 14 for their first win of the season.
In their last ten games against MVC opponents, the Roos hold a 2-8 record, including a 2-6 mark under Head Coach Jacie Hoyt. The wins came against Southern Illinois this year and at Loyola-Chicago in the 2018-19 season.
The Roos will be looking to improve upon their all-time postseason record of 11-27, including conference tournaments. Under Hoyt, that record stands at 3-4.
Brooklyn McDavid is the only Roo on roster with Postseason WNIT experience, participating in the 2019 tournament during her time at Pacific. In two games, she averaged 7.0 points and 8.5 rebounds.
At 23 wins, the Roos are just one away from tying the 1991-92 squad for the most wins in program history.
Surpassing the 80-win plateau against North Dakota State in the Roos' home finale, Jacie Hoyt became just the second coach in program history to reach that mark. She trails Brian Agler for the most wins all-time (85).
Hoyt is the first coach in program history to earn two postseason bids, also earning a NCAA Tournament bid in 2019-20. Of the current roster, seniors Naomie Alnatas, Mandy Willems and Jada Mickens were all on the NCAA-qualifying team.
With 995 career points, Alnatas is just five points away from becoming the 17th player in program history to surpass the 1,000-point mark. Her career average of 13.8 points per game currently sits as the fifth-best mark in program history.
After averaging 26.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in the Summit League Tournament, Alnatas became the ninth player in program history to be named to a conference All-Tournament team. She was the first since Ericka Mattingly in the 2018-19 WAC Tournament.

Series History vs. UNI

Kansas City will be facing Northern Iowa for the first time since Dec. 14, 2003, where the Roos fell 52-79 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The Panthers hold the advantage in the all-time series record at 7-1. KC won the very first meeting in Kansas City on Dec. 1, 1992, with a final score of 57-41.
This will be the fifth time the Roos have played in Cedar Falls, Iowa and are looking for their first road win over the Panthers.

UNI Scouting Report

Northern Iowa currently sits at 22-10 overall with a 13-5 record in Missouri Valley Conference play. This marks their sixth time in program history with 20-plus wins in a season.
Northern Iowa just missed the NCAA March Madness tournament with a 58-60 loss to Illinois State in the MVC Championship game.
This will be the second time in the past five years that UNI has hosted the opening round of the WNIT, the last time being in 2018.
The Panthers made their longest run of the WNIT in 2021, losing in the semifinals to Ole Miss, 60-50. Their WNIT wins last season came over Dayton, Creighton and Saint Louis.
UNI is no stranger to Summit League opponents, defeating North Dakota State, 76-63, and South Dakota State, 59-50, in non-conference play this year.
The Panthers nearly defeated No. 10 Iowa State this season, but the buzzer-beater hit iron in the 70-69 final decision.
Northern Iowa rarely turns the ball over, posting a 1.14 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is best in the MVC and ranks 27th in the nation.
UNI has the second-most potent offense in the Missouri Valley league, averaging 69.3 points per game.
Senior Karli Rucker was named First Team All-MVC for the fourth year in a row. She is the Panthers' leading scorer, averaging 12.9 points and 3.3 assists per game, while shooting an efficient 35.2% from beyond the arc.
Second-year freshman Grace Boffeli earned a spot on the All-MVC Honorable Mention team. She is a force inside, averaging 8.8 rebounds, the fourth best single-season performance in UNI's program history.
Junior Kam Finley is the only other Panther to average double-digits with 11.7 points and 1.7 three-pointers per game.
Kansas City, Mo. native Bre Gunnels is a presence in the paint, tallying 63 total blocks and grabbing seven boards per game.

Kansas City Travels to Cedar Falls for WNIT Action

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Naomie Alnatas

Brooklyn McDavid

Jada Mickens

Mandy Willems

Kansas City Travels to Cedar Falls for WNIT Action

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Naomie Alnatas

Brooklyn McDavid

Jada Mickens

Mandy Willems

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