Kansas City
2-4,0-0Summit League
Austin Peay
2-4,0-0ASUN
Shooting Struggles Stop Kansas City Against Austin Peay
11/24/2023 7:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Emani Bennett finished with 20 points in the Roos' second game of the Cleveland State Invitational
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kansas City Women's Basketball (2-4) started off the day strong against Austin Peay (2-4) but couldn't hold on, falling 78-63. Shooting trouble was a concern for Kansas City who shot 36.5% from the field and 16.7% from outside the arc. The Roos got ahead early but lost momentum towards the end of the first quarter and could not get it back. Although the Roos faced scoring troubles, they notched 11 assists, just over their season average of 10.2 per game.
KC faced a scoring drought in the final five minutes of the first half. Nariyah Simmons knocked down the only points for the Roos in the final minutes of the half with two free throw makes.
At the beginning of the third quarter, the Roos were first to the net. They outscored the Governors for the majority of the third quarter, but both teams ended the third with 17 points apiece. In the fourth, Kansas City outscored the Governors by one. The Roos battled with foul trouble; two Roos fouled out and another two finished the game with four fouls each. Emani Bennett led Kansas City on the offensive end, with a career-high 20-point performance and one assist. Dominique Phillips was the only other Roo to reach double digits with 12.
KEY MOMENTS
- 1Q — 7:06 / 6-10 | The Roos got to an early lead with a basket from Zaire Harrell and two from Emani Bennett. Lisa Thomas and Nariyah Simmons got hot, with Thomas draining back-to-back baskets on assists from Simmons.
- 1Q — 3:49 / 11-15 | Em. Bennett put up the first good three-pointer of her college career to extend the Roos lead to four. Dominique Phillips dished the ball over to Bennett, earning her lone assist of the day.
- 2Q — 5:27 / 31-23 | Kansas City went on a three-minute scoring drought from the field. Zanaa Cordis broke open scoring for the Roos in the first minute of the second quarter with a layup. The Roos did not score again from the field until Elauni Bennett knocked down a jumper followed by a layup to bring the Roos within eight of the Governors. The Roos did not make another shot from the field until the next quarter.
- 3Q — 9:22 / 43-29 | Thomas knocked the ball away from Austin Peay earning her only steal of the day. The Roos were able to convert; Simmons drove a layup to the net. Her layup broke the Roos scoring drought from the first half and was the first quarter the Roos made it to the net before Austin Peay.
- 3Q —6:26 / 43-34 | Thomas brought the ball up the field and dribbled into traffic. She passed the ball back to Phillips, who was open, on her right and drained a three. Phillip's three-pointer brought the Roos within nine and earned Thomas her third assist of the day. Prior to the match up, Thomas was averaging 2.8 assists per game.
- 4Q —4:29 / 66-54 | Kansas City looked to stage a comeback in the final quarter, with a nine-point streak. Em. Bennett put up a jumper and a layup to start the Roos streak. Then Kelby Bannerman brought down a defensive rebound before knocking down a basket on the offensive end. The Roos forced a time-out from the Governors.
- 4Q — 3:35 / 66-56 | Another layup from Em. Bennett brought her to 18 points on the day. Bennet earned the final points of the Roos' nine-point streak, but a handful of Governor free throws in the final minutes of the game allowed them to pull away.
STATS TO NOTE
- Going into the match up, the Roos averaged 10.2 assists per game. Although they struggled to shoot from the field, Kansas City documented six assists in the first half with Simmons and Thomas earning two apiece. The Roos finished the game with 11 assists, five of which were earned by Thomas.
- In the first half, the Roos shot 31.3% from field goal range, compared to the Governors' 56% performance. Kansas City went 1-for-6 outside the arc, with Em. Bennett earned the Roos' lone three of the first half. The Roos shot 40% from field goal range in the third quarter and 43.75% in the fourth to improve their field goal percentage.
- It was a career-high performance for Em. Bennett. She earned the three was the first of her career and played a career-high 33 minutes. Em. Bennett also earned a career-high 20 points, improving her previous career-high by 13 points.
UP NEXT
Kansas City plays its final game of the Cleveland State Viking Invitational, facing host Cleveland State (4-1). The Roos and the Vikings matchup on Saturday at 3 p.m. Following the tournament, the Roos return home for a five-game home stretch.
