Kansas City
Wichita State
Stranglehold Defense Propels Roos to Victory Over Shockers
12/17/2024 10:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Roos held WSU to just 38.7% shooting and allowed just three three-pointers in the win
WICHITA, Kan. - Kansas City Men's Basketball (7-7) went into Charles Koch Arena and emerged victorious for just the second time in program history this evening, defeating Wichita State (8-3), 74-64. The Roos used stifling defense and a balanced offensive attack to build up a lead as large as 23 points and bring home the victory.
Wichita State's press gave Kansas City some fits late in the game, but the Roos were able to hold on late thanks in part to 14 second half points from Babacar Diallo. The lead was built on the shoulders of Jamar Brown, who scored 17 points, all coming in the first 22 minutes of game time.
Kansas City held the Shockers to just 15.8% shooting from three-point range while shooting the long ball at a 36.4% clip themselves. Freshman Ring Nyeri showed up in a major way, knocking down a team-high four triples for 12 points. Jayson Petty pitched in with a near double-double, going for nine points and nine boards.
KEY MOMENTS | HIGHLIGHTS
- 1H - 13:15 / 8-7 | Jamar Brown scored the first eight points for the Roos, his second three-pointer of the night giving KC a lead that it would not relinquish.
- 1H - 11:13 / 16-9 | Melvyn Ebonkoli handed the ball off to Brown, who knocked down a logo triple and forced a WSU timeout.
Oh @jamar_brown2 getting logo buckets ?? pic.twitter.com/wGT6zlo2lE
— Kansas City Men's Basketball (@KCRoosMBB) December 18, 2024
- 1H - 5:43 / 24-18 | Nyeri nailed his second triple of the first half, putting an end to a nine-point Shocker run.
- 1H - 0:31 / 38-24 | Brown went for a steal on one end and hit a bucket on the other, giving the Roos a nine-point run of their own to end the half.
- 2H - 18:15 / 44-27 | Kansas City maintained momentum at the beginning of the second half as Brown buried a jumper in the lane to extend the lead to 17.
- 2H - 11:09 / 52-34 | Davontae Hall hit back-to-back shots, keeping the Shockers at arm's length.
- 2H - 5:50 / 62-39 | Diallo finished a tough bucket through contact and converted on the and-one opportunity, giving the Roos their largest lead of the day.
- 2H - 0:29 / 74-64 | A furious comeback attempt by the Shockers was kept at bay as Diallo calmly put in a pair of free throws and the Roos came up with a stop on the defensive end.
STATS TO NOTE
- Diallo finished with a career-high 18 points, going 7-of-11 from the field. His previous career best came on Feb. 9, 2023, scoring 15 against Western Illinois. Across the last three games, he is averaging 13.3 points per game.
- Brown finished with a game-high six assists, beating his previous career mark by two and leading the Roos in assists for the first time this season.
- Kansas City shot above 50% from the field in just three of its first 12 games this season, but have now eclipsed that mark in back-to-back wins.
- The Shockers entered this game ranked #100 in KenPom, marking KC's highest-rated KenPom win since defeating #100 Indiana State on Nov. 22, 2022.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
Coach Marvin Menzies | Jamar Brown
UP NEXT
Kansas City returns home for a game against East Tennessee State on Saturday before taking a break over the holidays.
