KC Roos women’s hoops continues torrid start; men rally but lose at SIU Edwardsville
The Kansas City Roos women’s basketball team is off to the best start in school history since becoming an NCAA program after beating Tennessee State 74-70 on Sunday in Nashville.
The Roos are on a nine-game winning streak, the second-longest in school history behind the 1990-91 squad’s 10 straight.
Brooklyn McDavid recorded her fifth double-double of the season against Tennessee State (3-6), with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the game at the Gentry Center Complex. Three teammates reached double-figure scoring: Mandy Willems (15 points), Paige Bradford (13) and Naomie Alnatas (13).
KC shot a blistering 66.7% from beyond the arc in the first half, knocking down six of its eight three-pointers before the break. The Roos also out-rebounded their hosts 40-28, led by McDavid with 12 and Bradford with nine.
In a game that was close throughout, seeing her players dig deep and finish in the win column again pleased coach Jacie Hoyt greatly.
“This was a super gritty road win for us,” Hoyt said. “It wasn’t a pretty game for us, but that’s a credit to Tennessee State and how they play. I was proud of our resilience and leadership that some of our kids showed when things weren’t going well.”
The KC women’s team is back in action Tuesday at home against Santa Clara. Tipoff is noon at the Swinney Center.
The men’s team wasn’t as fortunate as the women’s team in its own Sunday road contest. rallying from a 26-19 halftime deficit at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville only to fall short, 60-56.
The Roos (5-5) outscored SIU Edwardsville (5-6) 37-34 after halftime at the First Community Arena. Evan Gilyard II led the Roos with 19 points in just 28 minutes going 12 of 13 at the free-throw line. Anderson Kopp and Josiah Allick added 14 points apiece, with Kopp making four three-pointers in 11 attempts.
The Cougars out-rebounded the Roos 39-33. Ray’Sean Taylor led SIU Edwardsville with 14 points, one of four Cougars to reach double figures. DeeJuan Pruitt scored 13 and grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Roos were coming off a 64-55 home victory over Green Bay Friday night at Swinney Rec. Their next game is Dec. 20 at South Dakota State in Brookins, S.D.
This story was originally published December 12, 2021 at 5:00 PM.