UMKC Starts Three-Game Road Swing At North Dakota State

The 'Roos play the first of three consecutive road games on Thursday, starting with second place North Dakota State. The 'Roos have won two of their last three games on the road in conference play, while NDSU comes in after losing their last two games on the road.

It will be the 14th meeting between the 'Roos and Bison, with NDSU holding a 9-4 lead in the series. Bison won 63-44 in Kansas City on Jan. 5. They have split the season series in each of the last three seasons. At Fargo, Kansas City is 1-5 against NDSU, winning only in 2010 by a 58-56 score.

North Dakota State comes in with a 16-5 overall record (ranked No. 17 in the Mid-Major Top 25) and a 7-2 record in conference play. The Bison have lost their last two games against the other two top teams in the league on the road (SDSU, WIU).

They were led by junior guard Taylor Braun, who is fourth in the league in scoring at 15.2 points per game, but he was injured and has not played the last three games. He also pulls down 5.1 rebounds and has 50 assists. Forward Marshall Bjorklund scores 12.3 points on a national-best .710 percent shooting, and a team-best 5.9 boards a game. Lawrence Alexander is averaging 10.3 points and has a team-best 82 assists.

As a team the Bison lead the conference in scoring margin at +12.3 points per game, and hold opponents to a league best 38 percent shooting. The Bison also hold opponents to only 56.8 points a game.

UMKC has won 2-of-3 games on the road in league play. It was the first time the 'Roos have done that since January 27-February 5 of 2011.

Conversely, the 'Roos have lost nine in a row at home, four of which have been league games. In those games, UMKC is allowing opponents to shoot .502 from the field, while hitting .423 on offense. The 'Roos also posted an 87-to-121 assist to turnover ratio, while opponents are at 136-to-105.

The 'Roos have allowed their last five conference opponents to shoot at least 48 percent from the floor. Offensively, UMKC has shot at least 48 percent in three of its last four league games.

A bright spot from Saturday’s loss was Brad Reid. The senior center earned his first career start on Saturday vs. Omaha, and responded with a career night, logging his first ever double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 boards.

Kansas City will continue to lean on two players for their scoring. In the last five games, Estan Tyler (16.2) and Thomas Staton (13.0) are averaging in double-figure points.

UMKC will next head to South Dakota State Saturday for a 4:05 p.m. contest that will be televised nationally on Fox College Sports.