Kansas City
7-14,3-7Summit League
Omaha
9-12,4-6Summit League
Stafford Comes Up Big as Kansas City Claims Win in Omaha
1/26/2023 10:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
E'Lease Stafford scored a game-high 23 points as the Roos picked up their first road win in league play
OMAHA, Neb. – Kansas City got the second half of the Summit League schedule off to a positive start with a 64-55 victory over Omaha Thursday night in Baxter Arena. The Roos held the Mavericks to 10-of-30 shooting in the second half, including a three-minute scoreless stretch in the fourth quarter that allowed KC to maintain a five-point advantage.
The win was the second true road victory for Kansas City and improved the team to 3-7 in the league and 7-14 overall while avenging an earlier loss to Omaha on New Year's Eve in Kansas City.
E'Lease Stafford led four Roos in double figures with 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting, 3-of-6 from three-point land. She added five rebounds and three steals as well. Manna Mensah had 15 points and six rebounds, Rain Green had 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting with six assists, and Machia Mullins had 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Kansas City held a 35-28 lead at the half, but Omaha chipped away and took a brief 44-43 lead after a layup by Katie Keitges with 1:56 left in the period. But Stafford hit a three-pointer and added a layup in the final 1:24 to give the Roos a 48-46 lead entering the final period. Six-straight points early in the last quarter, capped by a Stafford jumper, extended the lead to 54-47 and after Omaha came to within 56-52, a Mensah layup gave the Roos breathing room.
KEY MOMENTS
- 1Q / 4:12 - 13-11 | Both teams opened the game by hitting their first two 3-point attempts, with both Kansas City buckets coming from E'Lease Stafford. An offensive rebound, basket and subsequent free throw by Machia Mullins gave the Roos a 13-11 lead at the first media timeout.
- END 1Q / 19-17 | Rain Green's driving shot in the lane with :03 on the clock gave the Roos a two-point lead after one period. Stafford led all scorers with 8 points, while Mullins had five rebounds and a steal in the first quarter.
- 2Q / 4:16 - 21-25 | The Roos opened the second quarter missing their first five shots and turning the ball over twice and fell behind by six before Stafford hit a 12-footer to put Kansas City on the board.
- HALFTIME / 35-28 | Kansas City ended the half on a 7-0 run to take a seven-point lead into halftime. Manna Mensah hit two three-point baskets and Green scored twice in the lane in the final three minutes of the quarter to put the Roos ahead. Kansas City made four-of-six three-point attempts, while Omaha missed eight of its last nine attempts after starting the game three-for-three.
- 3Q / 3:27 - 43-40 | Omaha outscored the Roos 12-8 to start the third quarter, but Kansas City remained in the lead behind baskets by Jocelyn Ewell, Mullins and Green.
- END OF 3RD QUARTER / 48-46 | The Roos went scoreless for more than 2:30 of the quarter and lost the lead, but Stafford hit a 30-footer and then a layup to give Kansas City a 48-46 lead going into the last quarter.
3Q | @eleasekstafford with a swishhhhh 3? ????? pic.twitter.com/g782q2NYet
— Kansas City Women's Basketball (@KCRoosWBB) January 27, 2023
- 4Q / 3:01 - 58-52 | A layup by Manna Mensah increased the lead to six points at 58-52. After starting he quarter missing their first four shots, the Roos connected on five of their next six from the floor. Kansas City made six of eight free throws down the stretch to hold off the Mavericks.
STATS TO NOTE
- Omaha's Paulina Nikulochkina had missed her previous 14 field goal attempts in the previous four games, yet made her first two shots of tonight's game, one a three-pointer, to give the Mavs a 14-13 lead.
- After missing their first five attempts from the field in the second quarter and trailing 25-19, the Roos made their next four attempts to take 33-28 lead.
- Aaliyah Stanley, who scored 34 points in the first game vs. the Roos, managed just five points on two-of-eight shooting.
- Mensah finished with 15 points, one shy of her career high, on two-of-three shooting from three-point land, to go along with six rebounds.
- The Roos went to 4-0 this season when holding an opponent to fewer than 60 points.
- Machia Mullins had her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Kansas City remains on the road and will travel to Denver on Saturday for a 2 p.m. CT tip.
