UMKC tops William Jewell 73-59 in home opener
The UMKC Kangaroos opened up their home schedule Sunday night on a positive note with a 73-59 victory over William Jewell at Municipal Auditorium.
The Roos were led by point guard Martez Harrison, the reigning WAC player of the year. His overall play was a big reason why he’s set for another great season when conference play rolls around. Harrison finished with 17 points, four rebounds and six assists.
“That’s a heck of night for how much attention he gets,” UMKC coach Kareem Richardson said.
The Roos looked a little sloppy during the first half, but used their size advantage to post up players. Pressing early on gave UMKC success as well, as they tried to slow down the Cardinals.
Still William Jewell, 1-1, which took the short drive from Liberty, hung tough and even took the lead several times in the first half. Junior Matt Lassen was the sharp shooter of the night by tallying 26 points.
The Kangaroos struggled from the floor in the first half, but made the necessary buckets to put the Cardinals out of reach. The team heated up in the second half going 6-of-13 on three-pointers, which made a major difference.
After UMKC had an 8-0 run to start the second half, the Cardinals came back to make it close. However, the Roos shut down William Jewell with good defensive pressure.
Noah Knight, the sophomore from Olathe South, was a big contributor off the bench with 13 points and 27 minutes. Dashawn King came on strong in the second half and ended up with seven points.
“He brings a toughness to our team at least two charges for him tonight,” Richardson said of Knight. “Those are the things we ask of him and those are the sparks for us.”
LaVell Boyd also had a solid game starting with 11 points. Even though Boyd had a good offensive output, he took pride in his defense.
“Defense is what’s going to carry our offense,” Boyd said. “The defense is always what’s going to get us the win.”
Early on, the Kangaroos will be feeling out this new team and how they will mesh together.
“We’re still trying to build the chemistry of this team,” Richardson said. “We have a lot of new guys that are trying to figure out how to play at the Division 1 level.”
UMKC will play its third game in five days when it faces Nebraska-Omaha on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
“We’re going to have to take care of our bodies and be ready to roll on Tuesday,” Richardson said.
This story was originally published November 15, 2015 at 9:03 PM with the headline "UMKC tops William Jewell 73-59 in home opener."