UMKC Continues Road Swing At Oakland Thursday

The 'Roos come into this matchup with Oakland after their first road win in conference play since December of 2011 vs. IPFW. Kansas City and OU are fighting for fifth place in the league standings, with Oakland entering the contest on a three-game losing streak.

It will be the 32nd meeting between the 'Roos and Grizzlies, with Oakland holding a 25-6 advantage. OU has won the last 12 meetings in the series dating back to a February 15, 2007 overtime win for UMKC, 80-76. At OU, Kansas City is 2-12 and on a six-game skid there. The last win on the road for the 'Roos came by a 84-81 score on February 11, 2006. Matt Brown has a 0-11 mark against OU while OU’s head man, Greg Kampe, is 25-6 vs. UMKC.

Oakland enters the contest with a 7-12 overall record, and is 2-3 in conference play. The Grizzlies have defeated IUPUI and Omaha in league action, with losses on the road to the top three teams; WIU, SDSU and NDSU.

The Grizzlies are led by guard Travis Bader's 19.6 points per game (3.8 threes made per game), while center Corey Petros puts up 12.9 points and 8.1 boards (second in SL) per contest. Also in double figures is point guard Duke Mondy, who puts up 11.7 points per outing, and leads the Summit League in both steals (57) and assists (97).

As a team the Grizzlies lead the conference in steals per game (8.7) and turnover margin, forcing 15.2 miscues per outing. They shoot 23.4 free throws per game, ranking No. 1 in the league as well. They have allowed opponents to shoot .493, ranking last in the conference.

The 'Roos set a school record on Saturday, shooting 82.6 percent in the second half (19-of-23). The old mark was set on January 13, 1990 against Northern Illinois at 75 percent (15-of-20).

Estan Tyler came off the bench for the first time this season on Saturday, and responded with a career and team season-high 25 points. He also had five assists and no turnovers, only the second turnover-free game this season (vs. UND). The effort led to Tyler being named the Summit League Player of the Week on Monday (becoming the first 'Roo to earn that honor since Jay Cousinard on November 22, 2010).

UMKC’s big three will continue to spearhead the 'Roos attack. In the last five games, two players are averaging in double-figure points, Thomas Staton (14.6) and Tyler (14.3). Fred Chatmon leads the team with 6.2 boards a game during the stretch. Chatmon also ranks fourth in the league in blocks (1.3 bpg) while Tyler is fifth in assists (3.5 apg).

Kansas City will continue its road swing on Saturday at Fort Wayne for a 6:00 p.m. CT contest at Memorial Coliseum.