The Kansas City Kangaroos were able to hit their shots throughout the night to establish a double-digit lead, and the efforts by Seattle University to come back fell short as the Redhawks lost to the ‘Roos, 95-84, Saturday night in the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball opener for Seattle U at KeyArena at Seattle Center.
Kansas City (5-9, 2-0 WAC) took the lead on a three-pointer by Martez Harrison four-and-a-half minutes into the contest and never relinquished it. The Kangaroos would go on a 13-2 scoring run over a two-minute span thanks in part to another three-pointer from Harrison as well as two long distance shots from Frank Williams.
After a three-pointer by Isiah Umipig (Federal Way, Wash.) and a jumper from Deshaun Sunderhaus (Conyers, Ga.) cut the Seattle U deficit to seven midway through the first half, the Kangaroos would outscore the Redhawks 15-6, featuring two three-pointers by Nelson Kirksey and five straight points from Williams. A layup by Clarence Trent (Tacoma, Wash.) and a Umipig three-pointer in the final minute of the first half brought the Redhawks to within 11 at 44-33 at halftime.
In the first three minutes of the second half, Kansas City scored nine unanswered points, five of them coming from Harrison, to extend its advantage to 53-33. Down by 22 six minutes into the second half, the Redhawks rattled off seven straight points, punctuated by a Umipig three-pointer, to close their deficit to 15 at 64-49.
After the Kangaroos extended their lead back to 20 at 69-49, the Redhawks used pressure defense to close the gap to six over a four-minute span, outscoring UMKC 18-4 thanks in part to six points apiece by Umipig and Emerson Murray (Vancouver, B.C.). The Kangaroos did not allow Seattle U to get any closer by hitting their free throws, going 18-for-21 in the final four minutes to pull out the victory.
“They (Kansas City) had a nice rhythm in the first half and really shot the ball well. We dug ourselves into a pretty big hole, but you have to give them credit for playing well tonight,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said. “We loosened up and created some offense in the second half, but they kept shooting the ball well and made their free throws.”
Umipig once again led Seattle U with 24 points and four steals, while Trent finished with 12 points, five rebounds, and two steals. D’Vonne Pickett Jr. (Seattle, Wash.) came off the bench in the second half and collected 11 points and three assists, and Murray notched his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, plus he dished out a team-high six assists and blocked a shot.
Five players scored in double figures for Kansas City, led by Kirksey with 25 points and Harrison with 19 points, three rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Williams finished with 16 points and five rebounds, Fred Chatmon added 15 points and nine rebounds, and Trinity Hall contributed 11 points. Jacobby Bledsoe played a solid game off the bench for the ‘Roos, earning nine points, four assists, and four steals.
As a team, UMKC shot 58.3 percent from the field (28-of-48), including 11-of-20 from behind the three-point line, and 73.7 percent (28-of-38) from the free throw line. On the other side, Seattle U shot 45.2 percent (33-of-73) from the field, including 5-of-26 from long distance, and 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from the free throw line. The Redhawks pulled down 21 offensive rebounds as they won the rebounding battle, 40-33, and forced UMKC into 14 second half turnovers.
Seattle University (8-6, 0-1 WAC) hits the road next weekend, facing New Mexico State Thursday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. local time (6 p.m. Pacific time), and Texas-Pan American Saturday, Jan. 11, also at 7 p.m. Central time (5 p.m. Pacific time). Both games will be broadcast live on 770 AM KTTH, starting with the pregame show 15 minutes before tipoff each night.