Leathernecks Storm Back, Hand 'Roos Heartbreaking Loss, 53-50

The Kansas City men's basketball team failed to hold on to an 18-point halftime lead as Western Illinois kept is Summit League title hopes alive with a 53-50 comeback victory on Thursday.
The 'Roos scored more points in the first half than WIU had allowed in an opening period all season (39), then followed with a season-low 11 points in the final stanza. The Leathernecks made the rally despite leading scorer and rebounder Terell Parks sitting out due to injury.
The 'Roos (7-23, 4-11 SL) were on fire in the first period, shooting 71.4 percent and jumping out to a 22-5 lead by the 11:29 mark. Sophomore guard Estan Tyler was the catalyst, hitting his first five shots from the field and finishing the period with a game-high 14 points. By the time the clock hit 8:10, it was a 28-10 advantage.
Western Illinois (20-7, 12-3 SL) shot the ball fine in the first half (44.4 percent), but nine turnovers turned into 18 UMKC points. Despite that, WIU climbed back in the game, getting the 18 point lead down to 11 with 1:29 remaining on a Ceola Clark three-pointer. Kansas City closed the period on a 7-0 rally though, including a fade-away three-pointer at the buzzer from Thomas Staton to make it 39-21 at the half.
The final stanza saw the Leathernecks come out on a mission. They started the half on a 13-2 rally, sparked by three UMKC turnovers and three WIU three-pointers, getting the crowd back into it.
Kansas City pushed it back to 10 at the 10:51 mark on another three from Tyler, but the Leathernecks were not deterred. WIU would score the next six points to get the margin down to only four with 7:07 on the clock. The defensive intensity sparked the rallies though, as Western Illinois held Kansas City to only three made shots in the entire second half.
It continued to close the gap when Clark hit a three to get it down to two with 4:56 left. WIU forced the 'Roos into back-to-back turnovers on the next two possessions, and scored on the other end each time, with the latter coming on a transition bucket with a foul to give the Leathernecks a 51-48 lead, their first of the night.
UMKC had a chance to tie it on two occasions down the stretch after WIU missed the front end of a 1-and-1 two times, but it had a layup blocked and was forced to take a guarded three at the buzzer from 30 feet out that missed.
Kansas City made 11 turnovers in the second half, and WIU scored 18 points off them. The 11 points that UMKC scored in the half all came from outside the paint, with four from the free throw line. WIU out-scored the 'Roos by a 32-11 margin in the final period.
Tyler led the 'Roos with 17 points, while Staton tallied 10. Tyler also committed nine turnovers though. Mason Wedel played a career-best 35 minutes, and had four assists with a career-high four steals.
Clark had 13 for WIU, while Michael Ochereobia, who played for the injured Parks, scored 14 points.
UMKC will finish the regular season at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday night in Indianapolis against IUPUI. If it wins, it can claim the No. 6 seed in the Summit League Tournament, paired with a South Dakota loss. If USD wins or UMKC loses, the 'Roos will be the No. 7 seed.