Kansas City
10-11,2-4Summit League
South Dakota State
13-8,4-2Summit League
Roos Fall Short in Heartbreaker Against South Dakota State
1/23/2025 10:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kansas City had a last-second opportunity but could not convert in the loss
KANSAS CITY - It came down to the final possession between Kansas City Men's Basketball and (10-11, 2-4 Summit) South Dakota State (12-9, 3-3 Summit) this evening, but the Jackrabbits were the ones to prevail in a 65-64 decision. A late shot clock violation by SDSU gave KC the ball with a chance to win in the game's waning moments but the Roos' were unable to get a shot off and fell short by a point.
Scoring was tough to come by on both sides; neither team shot above 25% from three and both teams committed 13 turnovers on the night. Kansas City made more field goals (24-to-22) and three-pointers (5-to-4) than the Jackrabbits but the difference came at the charity stripe, where SDSU outscored the Roos, 17-to-11.
Anderson Kopp was the Roos' leading scorer and did so in effective fashion, going 7-of-9 from the field and scoring a team-high 19 points. Jayson Petty was the only other KC player to reach double-digits, scoring 11 points, all in the first half.
KEY MOMENTS | HIGHLIGHTS
- 1H - 14:28 / 8-9 | Melvyn Ebonkoli walled up on the defensive end and forced an SDSU miss, leading to a Petty bucket on the other end. Petty was responsible for each of KC's first eight points, scoring six and assisting on the other two.
- 1H - 7:46 / 21-20 | Kopp knocked down the first three of the night by either team, giving the Roos the lead.
- 1H - 3:46 / 32-24 | Babacar Diallo drove the lane and kicked to the top of the key, finding Petty for a three-pointer and the Roos' largest lead of the game. South Dakota State responded with a nine-point run and got right back into the game.
- 1H - 0:00 / 37-36 | Diallo nailed a pair of free throws and the Roos forced an SDSU miss on the other end to take a lead into half.
- 2H - 16:11 / 41-42 | Kopp kissed a bank shot high off the glass through the foul for an and-one, bringing the Roos within a point on the free throw.
- 2H - 12:06 / 50-49 | Kopp went over the top of the South Dakota State defense and found Josh Ijeh for a bucket inside, giving the Roos the lead for the first time since half.
- 2H - 3:04 / 62-63 | Davontae Hall got a scoop shot to go, completing a four-point run that brought KC within a point.
- 2H - 0:07 / 64-65 | Kansas City locked down on the defensive end, forcing a shot clock violation with seven seconds remaining and giving themselves an opportunity at the end of the game. On the ensuing possession, the Roos lost control of the ball and were unable to get a shot up.
STATS TO NOTE
- Kopp has surpassed double-digit scoring in eight of his 13 appearances this season, leading KC's scoring efforts in six games.
- The Roos finished with seven assists on the night, tying a season-low. KC also notched seven assists in the loss at SEMO on Nov. 30.
- Blake Ammons was the first Roo off the bench this evening, making his first appearance in three games. He totaled 3:26 of playing time on the night.
- KC maintained it's high-level free-throw shooting, converting on 11-of-13 (84.6%) charity shots.
UP NEXT
The Roos remain at home on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tip-off with St. Thomas.
