UMKC stays true to offensive identity in loss to No. 3 Kansas
UMKC certainly didn’t back down from its reputation in a 105-62 loss to No. 3 Kansas on Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Kangaroos, who entered as one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, followed through on that strength against one of the nation’s best defenses while making 10 of 26 from the outside (39 percent), which included 8 of 15 in the first half.
The accuracy kept UMKC in it early. The Kangaroos made six of seven three-pointers in the opening 10 minutes, forcing KU coach Bill Self to call timeout when his team’s lead was trimmed to 27-22.
“I thought our guys started off well,” UMKC coach Kareem Richardson said. “I didn’t think they were intimidated of the moment, but the third-ranked team took its toll.”
The Kangaroos were never able to find any answers for KU defensively. The Jayhawks made 15 of their first 16 field goals in the second half while finishing with 1.44 points per possession — their best mark since 2014.
“You had to pick your poison with them for us, trying to keep them out of the paint,” Richardson said. “Hopefully you get them to take contested threes, but all those threes seemed to fall in tonight.”
KU ended up 15 for 27 from three-point range.
“They’re athletic, and then on top of that, they shoot the ball well,” Richardson said. “It’s really amazing how unselfish they are.”
UMKC, 6-4, will play host to William Jewell at 4:05 p.m. Saturday.
Jesse Newell: 816-234-4759, @jessenewell
KANSAS 105, UMKC 62
TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers
UMKC | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Steward | 22 | 2-7 | 1-2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
Tillman | 19 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Boyd | 25 | 6-14 | 3-3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 17 |
I.Ross | 20 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
King | 17 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Bishop | 18 | 2-6 | 1-2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Clark | 15 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Giles | 15 | 2-7 | 1-2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
Robinson | 12 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Leek | 12 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Newbill | 12 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
Leach | 7 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
B.Ross | 6 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 200 | 22-62 | 8-11 | 23 | 9 | 18 | 62 |
Percentages: FG .355, FT .727. Three-Point Goals: 10-26, .385 (I.Ross 3-4, Steward 2-3, Boyd 2-7, Newbill 1-1, Giles 1-2, Bishop 1-4, King 0-1, Leach 0-1, Leek 0-1, Robinson 0-1, B.Ross 0-1). Team Rebounds: 3. Blocked Shots: 3 (Giles 2, Tillman). Turnovers: 13 (Bishop 3, Boyd 3, Clark 3, King 2, Leek, Steward). Steals: 6 (Bishop 2, Clark, I.Ross, Leek, Robinson). Technical Fouls: None. Fouled Out: None.
TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers
Kansas | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Azubuike | 12 | 0-2 | 4-8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Graham | 25 | 6-8 | 0-0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 18 |
Jackson | 28 | 8-12 | 3-4 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 19 |
Mason | 31 | 11-14 | 2-2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 30 |
Vick | 22 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
Mykhailiuk | 28 | 4-12 | 0-2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
Lightfoot | 14 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Lucas | 14 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Bragg | 12 | 4-11 | 1-2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
Coleby | 5 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Self | 3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Young | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Vang | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 200 | 39-69 | 12-22 | 52 | 22 | 15 | 105 |
Percentages: FG .565, FT .545. Three-Point Goals: 15-27, .556 (Mason 6-7, Graham 6-8, Mykhailiuk 2-7, Vick 1-1, Jackson 0-1, Self 0-1, Bragg 0-2). Team Rebounds: 1. Blocked Shots: 7 (Azubuike 2, Vick 2, Bragg, Jackson, Lightfoot). Turnovers: 12 (Jackson 3, Azubuike 2, Mykhailiuk 2, Bragg, Graham, Lucas, Self, Vick). Steals: 7 (Mason 2, Vick 2, Coleby, Graham, Jackson). Technical Fouls: None. Fouled Out: None.
Half: Kansas 51-35. Att: 16,300.
This story was originally published December 6, 2016 at 10:19 PM with the headline "UMKC stays true to offensive identity in loss to No. 3 Kansas."