Kansas City
6-7,0-0Summit League
Bowling Green
4-6,0-0MAC
Hot-Shooting Roos Fire Past Bowling Green
12/14/2024 10:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kansas City shot at a 59.3% clip from the field in their win over BGSU
KANSAS CITY - Kansas City Men's Basketball (6-7) was on fire from the field and kept Bowling Green (4-6) at an arms' length late, taking down the Falcons, 85-77. The Roos shot a blazing 59.3% from the field, including an 11-of-22 clip from downtown for a season-best three-point percentage.
Babacar Diallo knocked down clutch free throws late in the game, emblematic of his play throughout. He scored 14 points, adding team-high marks in both assists and rebounds with six each.
Diallo was one of five Roos to score in double-digits, led by Jamar Brown's 18 points. Cameron Faas went for 16, Melvyn Ebonkoli scored a career-high 14 and Jayson Petty added 12 points of his own.
KEY MOMENTS | HIGHLIGHTS
- 1H - 13:26 / 14-10 | Ebonkoli pulled down a defensive board, handing it off to Diallo. He sent a long pass forward, finding Brown in stride for a transition three.
- 1H - 10:13 / 24-16 | Davontae Hall sent a quick pass to Faas for a three-pointer to put a cap on an eight-point Kansas City run, coming in the midst of five-straight possessions that ended in a three-point make for the Roos.
- 1H - 4:54 / 40-32 | Diallo found Petty for a dead-on three to extend the lead back out to eight, but a 10-2 run by Bowling Green tied the game back up.
- 1H - 0:13 / 46-45 | Bowling Green took their first lead since the 16:37 mark of the first half, but Petty pulled down an offensive rebound and made the put-back to send the Roos' into the break with a lead.
- 2H - 15:51 / 57-50 | Petty dumped a pass to Ebonkoli for an easy layup that helped the Roos open the second half on an 11-5 run.
- 2H - 11:46 / 63-57 | Hall scored six-straight points for the Roos, capped by a fall-away jumper over the outstretched arm of a defender.
That's six-straight points for @Lilticket_ ?? pic.twitter.com/w9PjfU2JwP
— Kansas City Men's Basketball (@KCRoosMBB) December 15, 2024
- 2H - 4:39 / 77-63 | Ebonkoli went to work in the paint and hit a hook shot, extending the KC lead to 14 points and forcing a BGSU timeout.
- 2H - 0:57 / 85-74 | Diallo knocked down six free throws in the game's final 94 seconds to help secure the win for the Roos.
STATS TO NOTE
- Tonight marked the first time since a win at Denver on Feb. 29 of last season that five-plus Roos scored in double-digits against a Division One opponent.
- Ebonkoli scored a career-high 14 points this evening, surpassing his previous high of 13 points against Kansas Christian. His six made field goals also set a career-best mark.
- The Roos knocked down double-digit three-pointers for the sixth game this season and shot for a 50% clip from behind the arc, tying a season-high.
- Diallo's six assists gave him five-plus for the third-straight game after reaching that mark just once in the first 10 games of the year.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
Coach Marvin Menzies | Cameron Faas/Babacar Diallo
UP NEXT
Kansas City is back on the road for a meeting with Wichita State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
