Kansas City
6-15,3-5Summit League
South Dakota State
16-5,6-1Summit League
Roos Outpaced in Late Stages By Jackrabbits
1/24/2026 4:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Emani Bennett went for 21 points and five rebounds, making it the sixth time the junior guard has gone for 20 or more in scoring this season
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Women's Basketball (6-15, 3-5) was in for a stiff challenge facing South Dakota State (16-5, 6-1) Saturday afternoon and despite trading punches with the Jackrabbits for the majority of the game, the Roos came up short in a 63-76 result at the Swinney Center.
Kansas City led 50-46 halfway through the third quarter but yielded a 30-13 run to SDSU to close the game. Emani Bennett led Kansas City in scoring, pouring in a team-high 21 points and grabbing five rebounds while shooting 8-17 from the field and knocking down a pair of three pointers.
Right from the start, the Jackrabbits put pressure on Kansas City as both teams took turns scoring on nearly each and every possession of the first quarter. Six different Roos scored in a first quarter offensive exhibition that also saw Em. Bennett score KC's last four points in a 24-26 game through 10 minutes.
The Roos weathered a SDSU 8-0 run to open the second quarter as three pointers from Jamyah Winter and Tierra Trotter helped steady the ship and cut the deficit back to two points. Kansas City headed into halftime back down six, 36-42 with another 20 minutes to play.
The Roos fought back to start the third quarter going on an 11-2 scoring run that saw Kansas City take a 47-44 lead three minutes and change into the second half. The run saw Trotter connect on a deep three ball and Zaire Harrell got busy on the glass, getting a tip-in shot to go before driving to the hole and scoring the basket to cap the plus-nine run for the Roos.
Kansas City extended the lead in the third thanks to Winter's second of three total triples in the game, going up 50-46 with 5:59 to play in the third. Despite staying pace with the Jackrabbits to that point, the Roos couldn't keep up with SDSU in the last 15 minutes.
Kansas City committed 14 turnovers which South Dakota State turned into 20 points while the Roos forced 11 miscues from the Jackrabbits and turned that into just 11 points. The Roos shot 43% from the field to SDSU's 49% while both teams shot in the high thirties on three point attempts (KC 37%, SDSU 36.8%).
The Roos were out-rebounded by 10 to the Jackrabbits, yielding a 28-38 margin while also allowing 17 offensive rebounds and hauling in 13 of their own on the offensive glass. Kansas City dished out 17 assists, the most in a single game against a Summit League foe this year.
Following Em. Bennett's 21 points, Trotter finished with 11 points and seven assists and was the only other Roo to crack double figures. Winter chipped in nine points while Harrell earned eight points and three assists, falling a field goal short of her fifth consecutive game of double figure scoring. Kansas City looks for the season sweep on Omaha next Saturday to begin the latter portion of Summit League play.
