Kansas City Roos men end five-game skid with blowout win over SEMO at Swinney Center

The Kansas City Roos men’s basketball team needed a little taste of home.

The Roos rolled to a 74-44 victory over Southeast Missouri State at Swinney Center on Thursday night.

Kansas City had lost five straight, including three tough defeats in the Baha Mar Hoops tournament in Nassau, Bahamas, just after the Thanksgiving holiday.

But it was all Roos in KC on Thursday.

Babacar Diallo’s jumper put the Roos ahead 10-8 with 15 minutes, 51 seconds to go in the first half. They held that lead for the rest of the game, leading 38-17 at halftime.

With the win, the Roos improved to 3-5. Southeast Missouri is still seeking its second win of the season at 1-6.

Jamar Brown made 7 of 9 shots from the field and led Kansas City in scoring with 19 points. Brown grabbed six rebounds and three steals. Cameron Faas scored 16 points with nine rebounds and three assists for the Roos, who shot 46.6% overall from the field and shut down Southeast Missouri (28.8% shooting).

Brown and Faas, who are both juniors, each played high-school basketball in Arizona.

Aquan Smart had 13 points and five rebounds for SEMO, which plays host to Missouri Baptist on Sunday.

The Roos, meanwhile, will play at No. 5 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday in Lawrence. KU will be coming off a Friday night game against No. 4 UConn.

This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 9:42 PM.