Sunday, December 28
Kansas City, Mo.
5:00 PM
Kansas City
3-11,0-0Summit League
91
vs
78
McPherson
0-1
1
2
F
McPherson
50
28
78
Kansas City
49
42
91
Photo by: Syd Siemens
Roos Close Non-Conference Play with Win Over McPherson
12/28/2025 7:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kansas City closed the game on a 13-3 run to ice the victory
KANSAS CITY - Kansas City Men's Basketball (3-11) closed out the non-conference slate with a 91-78 win over McPherson this evening. The Roos closed the game out on a 13-3 run, securing the win and heading into Summit League play on a high note. KC's starters carried the bulk of the load, all five finishing in double-figure scoring, led by 21 points from Karmello Branch.
The Roos started strong on the hot hand of Branch, scoring KC's first nine points. Jayson Petty followed that up with six-straight of his own on back-to-back triples and the Roos built a 15-4 lead within the first four minutes. McPherson settled into the game, knocking down shots and taking its first lead of the game, 24-23 before the under-12 media timeout. The rest of the first half was high-tempo and high-scoring and the Bulldogs took a one-point edge into the break.
Kansas City claimed the lead on three free throws from Branch on the first possession of the second half and never trailed again, but did not go untested. Every time the Roos would build a lead, McPherson answered with a run of its own, chipping away and keeping the game within striking distance. The Roos' lead stood at just three points with 5:30 remaining in regulation, but Kansas City finished strong behind steady free throw shooting and emerged with the 13-point win.
KC's size advantage proved valuable as the Roos were able to win the game from the charity stripe, outscoring the Bulldogs 26-14. The Roos went 26-of-31 from the line as a team, just the second time that Kansas City has shot above 80% from the stripe with at least 25 makes since the 2017-18 season. Branch went 8-of-8 on his free throws, the first KC player to go perfect from the line with at least eight attempts this season.
Petty followed Branch with 17 points of his own, going 5-of-6 from three-point range and matching his career-high for three-point makes. CJ Evans finished with 16 points, six assists and four steals, Kasheem Grady II pitched in 12 points and Jerome Palm posted his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Kansas City begins the Summit League slate on New Year's Eve, traveling to Denver for a 3 p.m. CT tip off.
The Roos started strong on the hot hand of Branch, scoring KC's first nine points. Jayson Petty followed that up with six-straight of his own on back-to-back triples and the Roos built a 15-4 lead within the first four minutes. McPherson settled into the game, knocking down shots and taking its first lead of the game, 24-23 before the under-12 media timeout. The rest of the first half was high-tempo and high-scoring and the Bulldogs took a one-point edge into the break.
Kansas City claimed the lead on three free throws from Branch on the first possession of the second half and never trailed again, but did not go untested. Every time the Roos would build a lead, McPherson answered with a run of its own, chipping away and keeping the game within striking distance. The Roos' lead stood at just three points with 5:30 remaining in regulation, but Kansas City finished strong behind steady free throw shooting and emerged with the 13-point win.
KC's size advantage proved valuable as the Roos were able to win the game from the charity stripe, outscoring the Bulldogs 26-14. The Roos went 26-of-31 from the line as a team, just the second time that Kansas City has shot above 80% from the stripe with at least 25 makes since the 2017-18 season. Branch went 8-of-8 on his free throws, the first KC player to go perfect from the line with at least eight attempts this season.
Petty followed Branch with 17 points of his own, going 5-of-6 from three-point range and matching his career-high for three-point makes. CJ Evans finished with 16 points, six assists and four steals, Kasheem Grady II pitched in 12 points and Jerome Palm posted his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Kansas City begins the Summit League slate on New Year's Eve, traveling to Denver for a 3 p.m. CT tip off.
Team Stats
McP
KC
FG%
.453
.422
3FG%
.273
.458
FT%
.875
.839
RB
36
42
TO
12
9
STL
8
9
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
8
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's BasketballG
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