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'Cats Fall at UMKC, 80-68
Dec. 3, 2007
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Ashley Cole and Joyce Ekworomadu scored 18 points each and Cole completed a double-double with 11 rebounds, but Texas State was unable to overcome a 49-point second half for UMKC, falling at Municipal Auditorium 80-68 Monday. Texas State (4-4) shot 38.2 percent from the floor, including 42.9 percent in the second half, but the Bobcats fell victim to three Kangaroo scorers in double digits, led by 30 points from Chanzy Morris. UMKC (5-3) also got 15 from Alyssa Klein and 12 out of Sierra Radke. Texas State out-rebounded the Kangaroos 43-40. UMKC raced to a 5-2 lead early, but after the Bobcats slimmed it to 7-6 at the first media break, Ekworomadu nailed a three from the left side to make it 11-9 with 13:20 to play in the half. The Kangaroos responded with a 6-0 run that covered the next 11:16 to make it 15-11, but the `Cats again managed to stop the spurt, getting back-to-back Cole buckets to tie at 15 with the clock under 10:00. Cole then put the Bobcats up two with a pair of foul shots at 9:14, but a Morris 3-point play with 6:35 to go made it 22-19, capping a 5-2 Kangaroo spurt that produced the half's largest lead since 15-11. Texas State fired back with the next six to make it 25-22 on a Tamarra Evans-Sluga jumper, with 5:35 to go. UMKC outscored Texas State 4-2 over the half's last two minutes to tie it at 31 at intermission, and the Kangaroos got the first basket out of the gate in the second half to take a 33-31 lead. Texas State scored the next two baskets, going up 35-33 on a Moser jumper from the right side with 18:15 to play, and the Bobcats made it a four-point game with 17:55 left on Cole's transition lay-in from the left baseline. After a 5-0 UMKC run made it 38-35, Ekworomadu hit the front end of two foul shots and then came up with a jumper in transition to put the `Cats up 40-38, which was answered by back-to-back UMKC threes from Radke and Morris to put the Kangaroos in front 44-42.
Ekworomadu knocked down a three at the top of the circle with 13:10 to go to make it 47-46, and the senior struck again with 10:47 to go, pushing the lead to four by burying one from the right wing to put the `Cats in front 54-50. Ekworomadu got another bucket a minute later, hitting from inside the arc to go up 56-53, but after UMKC cut it to one inside 9:00 to play, Allysa Klein and Marta Waalen scored consecutive baskets, followed by a Radke steal and lay-in with 6:40 to go that put the Kangaroos in front 61-58, sparking a 10-0 UMKC run. Klein hit off of the left glass a minute later, getting a lob pass from the right wing with 5:48 to make it 65-58, and with 5:12 remaining, Morris converted a pair of foul shots that extended the lead to nine, 67-58. The Bobcats would miss on their next two possessions, and with 4:03 left, Radke made two free throws to push UMKC's lead to 69-58. Cole stopped the dry spell for the Bobcats as the clock neared 3:30, hitting mid-lane to make it 69-60, and the `Cats got back within seven a play later, as DeGrate got a steal and Cole converted a jumper to make it 70-62 with to go. Kim Cessna knocked down both ends of a 1-and-1 with 2:19 to play, cutting UMKC's lead to six, but a 3-point play from Klein put the Kangaroos back in front 73-64 with 2:12 remaining and the Kangaroos hit 7-of-8 from the foul line down the stretch, securing the 12-point win. Texas State returns to the floor Dec. 12, taking on Southwestern Assemblies of God after a nine-day lay off, with tip slated for 7 p.m. |
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