UMKC Shoots 82 Percent In Second Half To End Victory Drought, Defeat USD 90-86

UMKC set a school record by shooting 82.6 percent in the second half on Saturday night and snapped its losing streak with a 90-86 victory at South Dakota. Sophomore guard Estan Tyler also had a career night, scoring 25 points to lead the way.

The 'Roos (5-13, 2-4 SL) got their first road win in Summit League play since the conference opener at IPFW in December of 2011. They also defeated South Dakota (7-11, 3-3 SL) for the first time ever. The Kangaroos won their first game of the year after being behind at the half, and it was the largest deficit (9) they have overcome this season.

The opening half started quickly in favor of Kansas City, jumping out to a 14-9 lead in the first 4:21. The Coyotes cut it to one on two occasions over the next five minutes, but UMKC went on a 9-1 spurt to take its biggest lead of the half at 28-19, sparked by five points from Tyler.

USD quickly answered though, going on an 11-0 run to take a 33-28 lead. The Coyotes went up by as many as seven before the halftime, but Kansas City got an 80-foot three-point bomb from senior Thomas Staton at the buzzer to make it 41-37.

The 'Roos were led by Tyler, who had 11 at the half. As a team USD had seven points off turnovers, but UMKC had an 18-13 rebound edge, getting nine second-chance points.

South Dakota pushed its lead to as many as nine early in the second half, but Kansas City kept it close, and trailed by only six with 10:17 to play. That's when it went on a run. Three-pointers by Nate Rogers and Kirk Korver on back-to-back possessions tied the game, and started a 16-3 rally that put the 'Roos up for good. A layup by Tyler with 3:07 on the clock made it 81-72, and that virtually iced it.

Kansas City missed only four shots in the entire second half (19-of-23), and got 14 and 13 points from Tyler and Staton, respectively. Korver also tallied nine points in the half and the team drilled seven threes.

The 'Roos shot 61.1 percent from the field for the game, and hit a season-best 13 three-pointers. Kansas City also had a 16-to-8 assist-to-turnover ratio and a 28-20 rebound edge. Tyler's 25 points were the most for a Kangaroo this season, while Staton scored 19, Korver had 15, and Fred Chatmon put up 10.

USD was led by Juevol Myles with 24 points, while Brandon Bos tallied 19. USD shot 53.1 percent in the contest, and 57.9 percent from three.

Kansas City will continue its road swing on Thursday night when it faces Oakland in Rochester Hills, Michigan at 6:00 p.m. CT.