Roos Face Foul Trouble in Fargo, Fall to NDSU

Thursday, January 11

Fargo, ND

7:00 PM

Kansas City

9-9,0-3Summit League

North Dakota State

8-7,2-0Summit League

Kansas City

North Dakota St.

Photo by: Francie Wilson

Roos Face Foul Trouble in Fargo, Fall to NDSU

1/11/2024 11:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Highlights

Kansas City jumped to an early lead but fell just short in the final minutes

FARGO, N.D. —Kansas City Women's Basketball (9-9, 0-3) was dominant over North Dakota State (8-7, 2-0) in the first quarter but could not hang on in the final minutes, losing 63-60. The Roos opened the matchup with an electric 10-point scoring run, going 5-for-5 on their first five field goal attempts. On the defensive end, the Blue and Gold played lock-down defense, keeping the Bison without a field goal for the entire first quarter. NDSU earned their only first-quarter points from the charity stripe, documenting three.

Following the strong first quarter from Kansas City, the Bison brought the energy in the second quarter, earning their first basket and outshooting the Roos 23-14. Fouls were an issue for Kansas City early, as the Roos committed 12 team fouls in the first half, allowing NDSU 14 free throw opportunities. NDSU capitalized on their free throws, shooting 79%, enough to make a dent in their cold shooting. The Bison closed the first half with just six baskets while the Roos shot 56% from the field and 100% from three.

After the half, NDSU came out with vengeance, drawing even with the Roos just before the end of the third quarter. The Bison stayed hot, going up by seven points in the third quarter, but crucial plays from Nariyah Simmons kept the Roos within striking distance. A Simmons field goal brought the Roos within one with 30 seconds on the clock. With just six seconds remaining Ugass put up a good second-chance bucket, to once again bring Kansas City within one, but the Bison put a stop to their comeback efforts with two free throws to close the game.

KEY MOMENTS | HIGHLIGHTS

1Q — 6:56 /10-0 | Simmons drove the ball from outside the arc into the lane, she bounced the ball to Phillips who knocked down the shot under the basket. Phillips documented three baskets in the first four minutes of play.
1Q — 3:38 / 15-1 | Phillips knocked down her fourth basket of the day, with a tricky hook shot fired from her left hand. On the next play, Lisa Thomas carried the ball under the basket for the Roos, she connected with Contreras, open just outside the arc, who knocked down a three without hesitation.
2Q — 9:22 / 17-5 | The Bison knocked down their first basket of the game to bring their field goal percentage to 5%. To open the game NDSU went 1-18 from the field.
2Q — 3:01 / 31-16 | The Roos inbounded the ball from the baseline with just five seconds remaining on the shot clock. Zaire Harrell immediately found Contreras. Contreras dribbled into space, took a step back and drained the three.
3Q — 6:24 / 35-31 | Contreras maintained control of the ball, dribbling it just under the basket. She pushed a pass out to Bennett. Bennett fired off a long three, notching the Roos' second basket of the quarter.
3Q — 1:29 / 38-41 | In a long pass from just outside center court, Contreras found Simmons in the bottom corner. Simmons launched a three without hesitation to reclaim the Roos lead.
4Q — 0:46 / 58-56 | The Roos forced the second Bison shot clock violation of the quarter. On the next Kansas City opportunity, Simmons drove the ball to the net, knocking down the jumper and drawing a foul. She knocked down the free throw to bring Kansas City within two. The Bison responded with a bucket, but Ugass knocked down a shot to give KC one more opportunity. The Bison closed the game knocking down two free throws to keep it out of reach for the Roos.

STATS TO NOTE

Tonight was the second consecutive game in which the Roos held their opponents to one or fewer field goals in the first quarter. The Roos stuffed the Bison tonight, only allowing three free throws in the first quarter. In the game prior, KC allowed just one first quarter Weber State field goal.
Contreras put up a back-to-back career-high performance, playing a career-high 38 minutes. She also led the team in scoring for the second consecutive game earning 15 points and shooting 6-for-11 from the field.
Phillips put up her second consecutive 14-point performance, making her one of four Roos to reach double digits tonight. Tonight's game with Phillips's eighth double-digit performance of the season, she leads the team in double-digit appearances with eight across 17 games.
Fouls were a game-changer for the Roos with Kansas City committing two fouls in the first two minutes of play. While no Roos fouled out, Kansas City documented 26 team fouls, the most since Dec. 10 against Western Illinois when the Roos had 26 fouls.

UP NEXT
The Roos continue their road trip in Grand Forks, N.D. as Kansas City and North Dakota (4-11, 0-2) face off at 1 p.m. on Saturday.