UMKC overcomes Green Bay 92-82 in CBI Invitational

Green Bay had finally broken down UMKC’s defense.

After being held at arm’s length the first 10 minutes of the second half, Green Bay overcame a seven-point deficit in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational and built a four-point lead with 7 minutes left in the game.

UMKC had led most of Wednesday night, in the program’s first appearance in a Division I postseason tournament game. The pressure for the Kangaroos to take their historic season one step further was suddenly on.

But Isaiah Ross didn’t let the burden faze him. The freshman guard came off the bench and gave UMKC a cushion, nailing a trio of three-pointers over a minute and a half to breathe new life into the offense.

Although Green Bay managed to tie the game after Ross’ final three, seniors LaVell Boyd and Kyle Steward took the reins. And UMKC stayed alive in March with a 92-82 win over Green Bay at Swinney Recreation Center.

“We knew that it was a matter of staying with it,” UMKC head coach Kareem Richardson said. “We didn’t really have a true energy run until that point.”

UMKC (18-16) will play at Wyoming (19-14) at 8 p.m. Monday in the quarterfinals of the CBI Tournament.

That’s a huge step for a program that had never advanced to the postseason in its 30 years as a Division I program.

Steward, who scored 20 points for the fifth time since Jan. 31, added a pair three-pointers over 30 seconds to give UMKC an 81-73 lead with 2:30 remaining.

Like the ’Roos, who shot 56.5 percent from beyond the arc, Steward went 3 for 5 from three-point range on a night in which Green Bay only landed four of its 21 three-point attempts.

“That was a big swing,” Green Bay head coach Linc Darners said. “Steward hit two huge threes. If he misses those … we’re probably off on the races getting layups on the other end.”

Boyd kept up his personal tear through the UMKC record books and passed Quinton Day for most assists in a season. Boyd dished out his 133rd assist of the season on Wednesday night. He’d entered the game five behind Day, tied for fourth in program history.

But freshmen like Ross, who finished with 11 points and one assist, and Xavier Bishop, who added five points and two assists over 14 minutes, were also pivotal in allowing UMKC to avenge its early-season loss to Green Bay.

“It was crazy, the whole game (Ross) was talking to me,” said Boyd, who scored 28 points and went 5 for 7 from three-point range. “He was just saying the next time he got it, he was gonna make it. And once he made the first one, it was downhill from there.”

UMKC 92, GREEN BAY 82

TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers

Percentages: FG .469, FT .692. Three-Point Goals: 4-21, .190 (Kanter 1-1, Cooper 1-2, Hankerson 1-2, Botz 1-4). Team Rebounds: 0. Team Turnovers: 15 (18 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Kanter, Lowe). Turnovers: 15 (Hankerson 3, Hurdle 2, Jones 2, Kanter 2, Lowe 2, Small 2, Botz, Cooper). Steals: 9 (Cooper 3, Findlay 2, Small 2, Hankerson, Lowe). Technical Fouls: Team.

TableStyle: SP-bkwideplayersCCI Template: SP-bkwideplayers

Percentages: FG .500, FT .719. Three-Point Goals: 13-23 .565 (Boyd 5-7, Ross 3-4, Stewart 3-5, Newbill 1-2, Robinson 1-4). Team Rebounds: 2. Team Turnovers: 18 (18 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Stewart, Tillman). Turnovers: 18 (Newbill 4, King 3, Bishop 2, Boyd, Robinson 2, Ross 2, Clark, Stewart, Tillman). Steals: 8 (Robinson 3, Tillman 2, Bishop, Newbill, Ross). Technical Fouls: King.

Half: UMKC 39-35. Attendance: 1,128.

AP-WF-03-16-17 0216GMT

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 10:27 PM with the headline "UMKC overcomes Green Bay 92-82 in CBI Invitational."