UMKC struggles against North Carolina-Wilmington in 76-56 loss

UMKC got a career-high 16 points from Darius Austin, but the Kangaroos fell to North Carolina-Wilmington 76-56 on Wednesday in Louisville, Ky.

The game was part of the Billy Minardi Classic and came less than 24 hours after the Kangaroos lost to No. 16 Louisville 75-47 Tuesday night. The two losses dropped UMKC’s record to 7-6.

North Carolina-Wilmington, 7-3, built a 44-28 lead at halftime and was up by as many as 23 points in the second half.

Wilmington made eight three-pointers, twice as many as UMKC, and was 18 of 22 from the free-throw line (82 percent). UMKC was just 10 of 20 from the line (50 percent).

Wilmington also had a 44-35 edge in rebounds, and it forced 15 turnovers by UMKC.

Craig Ponder led Wilmington in scoring with 14 points. C.J. Bryce added 12 points, and Denzel Ingram had 11.

The Kangaroos are off until Tuesday, when they play at Oklahoma State.

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 6:36 PM with the headline "UMKC struggles against North Carolina-Wilmington in 76-56 loss."