Kansas City
10-15,6-6Summit League
Oral Roberts
21-4,12-0Summit League
Kansas City Stymied by League-Leading Golden Eagles
2/4/2023 9:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Roos were held to 31.7% shooting on the night, including a 16-of-49 mark from two
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Facing the top-ranked team in the Summit League, Kansas City Men's Basketball (10-15, 6-6 Summit) fell to Oral Roberts (21-4, 12-0 Summit), 85-57. The Roos struggled down the stretch to match ORU's intensity and offensive threats. Kansas City could not find its shot, shooting 31.7% from the field compared to ORU's 52.4% clip.
Both teams started the game out playing fast and physical in front of a sold-out Swinney Center crowd. The Roos found themselves behind when ORU responded to an early KC lead with a 14-0 run. For the remainder of the game, Kansas City was stuck playing catchup with an aggressive ORU team.
The Roos attacked early in the second half, but didn't have an answer for ORU. Kansas City finished with three players in double-digits, led by 16 points from Shemarri Allen. Allen David Mukeba Jr. and RayQuawndis Mitchell finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
KEY MOMENTS
- 1H – 17:57 / 7-2 | Allen found space for a deep three to give the Roos some early momentum. Next time down the floor coming off a stop, Promise C. Idiaru fought for an offensive board and put-back to push the Roos out to an early lead.
- 1H – 8:08 / 11-16 | Mukeba forced a steal and runs the floor for a monstrous one-handed dunk, and the next time down backed down a defender for an easy hook shot. Mukeba's four-point swing stopped the bleeding off ORU's 14-0 scoring run.
- 1H – 5:39 / 19-26 | Mukeba and Allen combined to score 12-straight points for the Roos, going blow-for-blow with the Golden Eagles late in the first.
- 1H – 0:00 / 22-36 | The Roos failed to make a field goal in the final four minutes of the first half and ORU ended the half on a 10-3 scoring run.
- 2H – 19:45 / 24-36 | Mitchell opened the half with a smooth stepback jumper from the elbow.
- 2H – 13:00 / 32-55 | Mukeba fought for position in the paint to get a lay-up over the seven-footer, Connor Vanover to end an eight-point ORU swing.
- 2H – 5:36 / 42-70 | Allen drove down the lane and threw down an energetic and-one slam as the Roos tried to regain footing late in the game.
2H | Wow. pic.twitter.com/YpLVYxlGSl
— Kansas City Men's Basketball (@KCRoosMBB) February 5, 2023
- 2H – 2:45 / 52-77 | Mitchell hit the wide open three off the dribble-drive from Sam Martin, but ORU had done enough damage and took the victory handily.
STATS TO NOTE
- The Roos struggled shooting the ball in the first half, only hitting 9-of-31 from the field for 29% compared to ORU's 48.4%.
- The Roos were able to grab 16 offensive rebounds, but lost the rebound margin by eight, 41-33.
- Led by Mukeba's 12-point night, Kansas City Roos got 25 points from its bench, 11 points above the season average.
- KC's offense struggled to find a rhythm throughout the game, finishing with a season-low five assists.
HEAD COACH MARVIN MENZIES, QUOTED
"You have to understand, building a program, it doesn't happen overnight, and you have to know if you have the right guys in the locker room that it will happen, you have to trust what you know and you have to implement those lessons… As long as we can maintain this culture that we've started then I'm sure we'll get there. The question is, can we get hot in March."
"The journey has started … I told the guys, I love them to death, I'd much rather be in that locker room than anywhere in the world because they're a group of guys that I know will be able to mold, I know we'll be able to get them to be the players that they want to be and that the city wants them to be, it's just a process."
UP NEXT
The Roos will be back on the road this week to face Western Illinois on Feb. 9 at 6:00 p.m. in LeRoy A. Ufkes Court at Western Hall.
