Kansas City
7-23,4-12Summit League
South Dakota State
25-6,14-2Summit League
Roos’ Season Ends at Hands of Jackrabbits in Summit Quarterfinals
3/5/2026 3:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kansas City’s effort and energy never wavered despite a 75-61 result in Sioux Falls
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Kansas City Women's Basketball (7-23, 4-12) saw the 2025-26 season come to an end in the Summit Championship Quarterfinals, falling to second-seeded South Dakota State (25-6, 14-2), 75-61 on Thursday afternoon. Three Roos cracked double figures in scoring with the Bennett twins leading the way, each pouring in 15 points.
Following a tough drive and finish by Emani Bennett in the game's opening minute, the Roos couldn't get the lid off the basket, going 2-16 from the field in the first quarter. KC held strong on defense, holding SDSU to just 37% from the field in the first as the Roos found themselves down only a dozen despite a difficult first 10 minutes.
In the second, South Dakota State stretched the advantage out a bit more, out-scoring the Roos 15-10 in the frame while shooting 50% from the field. For Kansas City, five different players scored in the second with Kelby Bannerman providing a spark off the bench. The graduate forward went to work, scoring in the post on multiple occasions and nabbing a big block on SDSU's Brooklyn Meyer on the defensive end.
Despite the Roos eyeing a 17-point halftime deficit, Kansas City showcased tremendous heart and hustle in the second half. Tierra Trotter started the third by giving KC a much-needed boost of energy, knocking down a triple and weaving her way through traffic for a big and-one bucket. A minute later, Bannerman got in on the and-one action, polishing off a bruising three-point play that made it 44-27 with 6:14 remaining in the third.
With under five to go in the third, three pointers from Em. Bennett and Jamyah Winter helped the Roos stay in the fight as the second half moved along. Kansas City got their outside shots to fall in the third, going 4-7 from three point range. The Roos shot it better as a whole, going 42% from the field in the third to SDSU's 60%. Down 19 points with 10 minutes to go, the Roos refused to quit in Sioux Falls, making the last quarter of the game their best one.
Em. Bennett found the green light to open the fourth, swishing back-to-back three pointers and bringing her scoring total into double figures. The Roos effort down the stretch was spearheaded by El. Bennett, who scored 13 of her 15 total points in the fourth quarter alone. The junior guard from Lee's Summit, Mo. was all over the floor, going on a 8-2 solo run against the Jackrabbits in the 6:08-4:16 frame of the fourth.
The Roos cut the deficit to as low as 11 when El. Bennett converted a spin move into a miraculous layup under the hoop, making it 71-60 with just over two minutes left. Kansas City couldn't continue the run as SDSU didn't allow the Roos to notch another made field goal for the game. In addition to the Bennett twins' 15 points, Zaire Harrell recorded 11 points and nine rebounds in her final game as a Roo.
As the fourth season of the Jackson-Durrett era in KC comes to an end, the Roos saw several career milestones come to fruition this year. Most notably, Em. Bennett became the 18th player in program history to cross 1,000 career points and Zaire Harrell finished her career with 122 games played, tied for the seventh most in program history. Both Bennett twins were recognized in the Summit postseason awards with Emani getting a spot on the Honorable Mention All-League squad and her sister Elauni finding herself on the Second Team All-League. This is the first time in the Jackson-Durrett era that multiple players have received bids to the All-Summit teams.
