Kansas City
10-11,1-5Summit League
South Dakota State
14-5,6-0Summit League
Kansas City Outlasted by Jackrabbits Despite Strong Start
1/25/2024 10:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Roos were hampered by a 32-14 third quarter in favor of South Dakota State
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Women's Basketball (10-11, 1-5) looked good in the opening quarter against league-leading South Dakota State University (14-5, 6-0) but could not hold on after halftime, falling 72-49. The Roos and the Jackrabbits had a physical opening to the match-up. Both teams traded the lead, along with chances at the charity stripe in the first quarter. Towards the end of the first quarter, SDSU looked as though they were going to pull away, but Kansas City found a way to keep themselves in the game. A Lisa Thomas buzzer-beater allowed the Roos closed the quarter up two, 12-10. The Blue and Gold came out hot in the second quarter, with Dominique Phillips opening scoring. SDSU went on a bit of a run on the second, but a key three pointer from Phillips and a bucket from Bannerman kept the Roos in the game. The Jackrabbits knocked down a handful of field goals to extend their lead to 10 going into halftime, but Kansas City was able to hold the conference leaders to 1-of-10 from outside the arc in the first half.
After the break, the Jackrabbits had a huge third quarter to extend their lead to 28. In the third quarter SDSU held the Roos to 14 points while notching their biggest quarter of the game with 32. Going into the fourth quarter, Kansas City looked to fight their way back, but it seemed to be too little, too late. Alayna Contreras knocked down a three to open the fourth quarter, but 14 points from the Roos were not enough to make up the deficit. Contreras' three-pointer to open the fourth marked the fourth quarter in which Kansas City opened scoring from the field. The Jackrabbits held the Roos to nine points in the fourth quarter, and Kansas City held SDSU to the same in the fourth, but Kansas City's final effort was not enough to make up the deficit.
KEY MOMENTS | HIGHLIGHTS
- 1Q - 9:06 / 2-0 | Contreras opened the game's scoring, knocking down a jumper to claim the first lead of the night. The Roos were able to keep things close by forcing low-percentage shooting by the Jackrabbits.
- 1Q - 0:00 / 12-10 | With time running down in the first quarter, Lisa Thomas pulled down a rebound off an SDSU miss. She pushed the ball up the court and fired from about 30 feet out, banking it in to send KC into the first break with the lead.
- 2Q - 6:29 / 16-17 | Contreras dished to Tamia Ugass for a layup in the fast break, bringing the Roos back within a point. The Jackrabbits scored the next nine points to take control of the game.
- 3Q - 9:27 / 23-33 | Emani Bennett made a layup for the first field goal of the second half, bringing the Roos back within 10 points. SDSU went on an 11 point run to go ahead by 21.
- 3Q - 6:50 / 28-46 | Nariyah Simmons took a pass from Contreras and knocked down a three-pointer for her first points of the game, putting a halt to the Jackrabbits' run.
- 4Q - 7:49 / 41-67 | After falling behind by a game-high 29 points, Simmons knocked down another three to stop the bleeding. The Roos would outscore SDSU 14-9 in the final quarter.
STATS TO NOTE
- Kansas City held the Jackrabbits to 1-of-10 shooting from outside the arc in the first half, well below their season average of 36.4%. SDSU was able to heat up from long range in the second half, going 4-of-8 from long range.
- Contreras played for a team-high 30 minutes, her fifth consecutive game reaching that mark. It is her eighth time hitting that mark this season.
- The Roos had trouble containing SDSU in the paint. The Jackrabbits outscored KC, 42-10, inside the lane.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
Coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett
UP NEXT
The Roos travel to Vermillion, S.D. to take on South Dakota on Saturday at 2 p.m.
