“I thought our kids off the bench – Kaylee [Best], Kim [Flournoy], Renee [Dillard-Brown] – they got us back in the game,” said head coach Joan Bonvicini. “We played really well but they’re a good team and they deserve [the win]. I’m proud of our team and our effort to make better decisions down the stretch.”
Seattle U won the battle at tipoff but Kansas City would score the first points as Kim Nezianya hit a jumper nearly a minute in to give UMKC their first lead.
The Redhawks would tie it twice on back-to-back baskets by Wilma Afunugo (Plano, Texas) and Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) over the next two minutes, but the Kangaroos would hold a five point lead, 13-8, at 15:31. They would lead by five two more times over the next two minutes and would lead by as many as seven three different times over a three minute span up until the nine minute mark.
Afunugo and Alexis Montgomery (Beaverton, Ore.) hit back-to-back baskets to bring SU within three, 23-20, at 6:49 and a pair of free throws by Ward at 3:42 brought them within one, 25-24. Nezianya and Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) traded baskets as the Redhawks remained down by one, 27-26, just 20 seconds later.
The Roos would hit the only two baskets in the last three minutes of the half as Nezianya and White put Kansas City ahead by five, 31-26, at the half.
UMKC would start the second half where they left off, scoring seven straight from contributions by Taylor Leathers and Eilise O’Connor to lead, 38-26, just a minute in.
Seattle U completing replacing the starting lineup, the Redhawks cut the deficit to seven, 40-33, on a three-pointer by Kaylee Best (Seattle, Wash.) and a pair of free throws by Kristin Stoffel (Mill Creek, Wash.). SU would cut it to seven again two more times over the next three minutes, the second time on the first of two steal and fastbreak layups by Kim Flournoy (San Diego, Calif.), trailing 46-37 at 14:36.
Renee Dillard-Brown (Seattle, Wash.) and Best cut it to seven two more times before the 11-minute mark and back-to-back layups by Flournoy and Afunugo narrowed the deficit to just four, 51-47, at 9:22 on a 6-0 SU run.
Afunugo scored three straight and a pair of free throws by Best at the 7:02 mark would give SU their first lead of the game, 54-53. On an overall 15-2 run, SU would lead by as many as eight, 63-55, at 2:37 but White would hit a pair of three’s to cut Seattle U’s lead to two, 63-61, with a minute and a half left in regulation.
The Redhawks up by two, they would commit a foul with just 10 seconds remaining and O’Connor, shooting 6-for-6 from the line on the night, would make both free shots to tie the game at 63. SU received possession but turned over the ball as White made a desperation three but the game went into overtime, only Seattle U’s second of the season.
Best would start the overtime period with a clutch three and SU would lead by as many as five, 70-65, at 3:26 on a layup by Afunugo. A three-pointer by White and a pair of free throws by O’Connor would tie the game for the fifth time. The teams traded a free throw apiece to retie the game and, with five seconds remaining, White would hit the game-winning jumper for the Kangaroos to win, 73-71.
Afunugo led the Redhawks with 15 points, while Best scored 14, a career high. Shephard recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
O’Connor led all players with 24 points, while White scored 17 for the Roos. Nezianya recorded a double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds.
The Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 42-34, as the teams were even in turnovers (21), blocks (1), and steals (11).
Seattle U hosts Chicago State (3-25, 0-15 WAC) on Saturday, Mar. 8 at 4 p.m. to close out the regular season. Fans are encouraged to come early as Shephard, Ward, and Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) are honored prior to their final regular season home games. If SU wins on Saturday, the Redhawks will be the No. 3 seed in next week’s Western Athletic Conference tournament.