Kansas City
4-25,1-14Summit League
South Dakota State
14-16,7-8Summit League
Evans Goes for 20 in Loss to South Dakota State
2/26/2026 9:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kansas City was led by CJ Evans' 20-point performance in the penultimate home game
KANSAS CITY, Mo - Kansas City Men's Basketball (4-25, 1-14 Summit) dropped a game to South Dakota State (14-16, 7-8 Summit) on Thursday night at the Swinney Center, 73-59. As a team, the Roos shot 35.1% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc. CJ Evans led the Roos with his third 20-point performance of the season. The Jackrabbits shot 46.6% from the field and an efficient 42.1% from deep. The leading scorer for SDSU was guard Joe Sayler who recorded 22 points and shot 50% from beyond the arc.
It was somewhat an up-and-down first half for Kansas City. After knocking down their first two threes of the game, they missed their next five attempts. The Jackrabbits were able to take advantage of a KC scoring drought by gaining a 36-30 lead entering the second half. South Dakota State shot an efficient 50% from the field and 40% from deep in the first half. Jayson Petty led the Roos in points with nine, going a team-leading 3-of-5 from deep. Jackrabbit center Damon Wilkinson led the charge with 13 points and shot an effective 56% from the field. At the end of the first half, Petty nailed a three to cut the deficit to two possessions.
The second half started much the same as the first did. KC drilled a pair of threes by Evans and Petty, but the lead was still in the opponent's hands as SDSU continued answering back. The Roos battled back after trailing by as many as 12 and kept the game within reach, drawing as close as one point early in the second half. In the middle of the half, SDSU went on a 7-0 run that distanced themselves from KC.
Kansas City shot 10-of-28 from three-point range, making two more triples than SDSU. The last time the Roos made 10 or more threes in a game was against North Dakota on Jan. 1 where they knocked down 12-of-19 threes. Petty tied his season high with five three-pointers made tonight.
Kansas City will end its regular season at home on Saturday against Oral Roberts at 7 p.m.
