UMKC’s postseason run ends with CBI loss to Wyoming

There were several times Wyoming looked like it was on the verge of running away from UMKC on Monday night.

The Cowboys led by double digits just 2 minutes into the College Basketball Invitational quarterfinal game. They pushed that lead to 15 points on two separate occasions.

Yet, the Kangaroos clawed back each time. Until they couldn’t.

Wyoming ended the first postseason run in UMKC’s Division I history with a 72-61 victory in front of 2,311 fans at the Arena-Auditorium.

“(The Cowboys) made it tough for us to score,” fourth-year UMKC coach Kareem Richardson said. “We cut it to four and then we missed a couple of open looks. On the flip side, we blew a couple of assignments where we left them wide-open for a three and they stuck it.

“Most importantly, we missed several shots we haven’t missed.”

Wyoming (20-14) outscored UMKC 8-1 over the game’s final 3:42.

For the game, Wyoming shot 49.1 percent (26 for 53) from the floor and 10 for 23 (43.5 percent) from three. Those numbers were a combination of a team just being “on” and substandard defense from the Kangaroos, Richardson said.

“We had a lot of missed assignments,” he said. “Starting out the game 11-0, it looked like a 5-on-0 drill and we weren’t defending.

“When we cut it down to a couple of possessions a couple of times, we’d miss an assignment and give them an open shot.”

UMKC (18-17) twice trimmed the margin to six points, including 38-32 at the half after a three from the top of the arc from sophomore Aleer Leek.

“We went into halftime with a lot of momentum and felt like we could come back out and capitalize on that,” said UMKC senior DaShawn King, who finished with a team-best 16 points. “(Richardson) told us to change a couple of things and we thought those changes would keep our momentum going.”

It certainly looked that way when LaVell Boyd hit a three from the top of the arc after an offensive rebound by Darnell Tillman to cut Wyoming’s lead to 38-35.

But, just as they had all night, the Cowboys went on a run that stretched their lead back to double digits.

They enjoyed that advantage until the Kangaroos went on a 14-3 run to cut the lead to 64-60 with 3:41 to play.

“We just went all out and put everything we had left into that run,” said Kyle Steward, who scored 15 points on 6 of 11 shooting in his final game for UMKC. “We weren’t ready to go home.”

The postseason berth was the Kangaroos’ first in their 30 seasons as an NCAA Division I program. Their 18 wins tied for second-most in program history.

“This is a hard way to end our season, especially as much as the guys invested in themselves and the program,” Richardson said. “It should hurt when you invest the way these guys did. But I’m also very pleased with the outcome of this season.

“This is absolutely a step in the right direction for us.”

WYOMING 72, UMKC 61

TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers

Percentages: FG .344, FT .714. Three-Point Goals: 7-28, .250 (King 3-4, Leek 1-2, Steward 1-3, Boyd 1-6, I.Ross 1-6, Bishop 0-2, Newbill 0-2, Robinson 0-3). Team Rebounds: 4. Blocked Shots: 1 (Leek). Turnovers: 10 (Bishop 2, Boyd 2, King 2, Newbill 2, Steward 2). Steals: 7 (Robinson 3, Tillman 2, King, Leek). Technical Fouls: None. Fouled Out: None.

TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers

Percentages: FG .491, FT .833. Three-Point Goals: 10-23, .435 (James 3-4, McManamen 3-7, Lieberman 2-3, Herndon 2-4, Adams 0-1, Aka Gorski 0-1, Kelley 0-1, Dalton 0-2). Team Rebounds: 5. Blocked Shots: 4 (Dalton 3, Naughton). Turnovers: 12 (James 3, Dalton 2, Herndon 2, McManamen 2, Kelley, Lieberman, Naughton). Steals: 1 (McManamen). Technical Fouls: None. Fouled Out: None.

Half: Wyoming 38-32.

This story was originally published March 20, 2017 at 11:17 PM with the headline "UMKC’s postseason run ends with CBI loss to Wyoming."