UMKC's Tyler and Chatmon Named College Sports Madness All-League

Kansas City men's basketball had two honored today by College Sports Madness as sophomore guard Estan Tyler and junior forward/center Fred Chatmon were named Madness Summit League fourth team all-conference on Friday.
Tyler (St. Paul, Minn.) leads the 'Roos with 11.5 points per game to go with his team-best 86 assists. He is fourth in the Summit League with a .436 three-point percentage, while also hitting .836 from the free throw stripe. He was named Summit League Player of the Week after scoring a career-best 25 points in a win at South Dakota on January 12. The starting point guard, he leads the team with 31.7 minutes per game, more than seven mpg more than the next closest player.
Chatmon (Cleveland, Ohio) leads the 'Roos and ranks fourth in the conference with 7.5 rebounds per game. His 209 rebounds are ninth in school history for a single season, while his average also sits ninth in the record books. He is also four blocks shy of cracking the single season top 10 in that category. He leads the team with four double-doubles, and recorded 16 boards against then No. 25 Kansas State. Chatmon also adds 7.5 points per game and shoots .532 from the field.
College Sports Madness is a website that promotes everything college sports, and picks all conference teams for every league in several sports.
Click here to see the entire CSM All-Summit Team

'Roos Set For Quarterfinal Tournament Match-Up With Bison Sunday Night

The 'Roos head to the Summit League Championships in Sioux Falls, S.D. as the No. 6 seed, matching the highest seeding for the tournament under Matt Brown. The 'Roos come in after getting their third league road win of the year on Saturday at IUPUI. NDSU enters as the No. 3 seed and has won its last two contests after the return of leading scorer Taylor Braun. It will be the 15th meeting between the 'Roos and Bison, with NDSU holding a 10-4 lead in the series. Bison won 63-44 in Kansas City on Jan. 5. and 71-34 in Fargo on Jan. 31. This will be the first meeting at a neutral site or at the Summit League Tournament between UMKC and NDSU.
Kansas City is returning to the conference tournament after missing last season. The 'Roos are 5-15 all-time in the tournament, and 0-3 under Matt Brown. The last time UMKC won a tournament game was in 2007 against Valparaiso, 84-76. This is UMKC's third trip to Sioux Falls, falling to Oakland in 2010 (85-70) and IUPUI in 2011 (79-55).
North Dakota State comes in with a 22-8 overall record and went 12-4 in conference games to finish third. The Bison have only lost to WIU twice, SDSU and Oakland.
They are led by junior guard Taylor Braun, who is sixth in the league in scoring at 14.8 points per game. He also pulls down 4.9 rebounds, coming back from an injury that held him out 10 games last week. Forward Marshall Bjorklund scores 11.7 points on a national-best .676 percent shooting, and a team-best 6.0 boards a game. Lawrence Alexander is averaging 10.7 points and has a team-best 114 assists.
As a team the Bison lead the conference in scoring margin at +11.9 points per game, and hold opponents to a league best 38 percent shooting. The Bison also hold opponents to only 55.4 points a game.
For the season, Estan Tyler (.436) ranks third in the league in three-point shooting, while Fred Chatmon's 7.5 rebounds per game, ranks fourth in the Summit League. Chatmon also ranks sixth in blocks (0.9 bpg) while Tyler is seventh in assists (2.9 apg).

UMKC Men's Basketball Prepares for Summit League Championships

The UMKC men's basketball team has secured the No. 6 seed and will head to the Summit League Tournament to face No. 3 seeded North Dakota State on Sunday, March 10 at 8:30 p.m.
Eight teams begin play at the tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, March 9 and will determine The Summit League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in the championship game on Tuesday, March 12.
South Dakota State (22-9, 13-3) earned its fist Summit League regular season title since joining the league and will look to defend its 2012 Tournament crown. SDSU takes on No. 8 IUPUI (6-25, 1-15) in the first quarterfinal on Saturday, March 9 at 6 p.m. CT (Midco Sports Network / Fox College Sports).
The second quarterfinal of the night features No. 2 seed Western Illinois (21-7, 13-3), and No. 7 South Dakota (10-19, 5-11) at 8:30 p.m. CT (Midco Sports Network / Fox College Sports). The Fighting Leathernecks were co-champions, claiming the school's first title since the league's inaugural season in 1982-83 and highest seed since 1996. USD is making its first Summit League Tournament appearance.
Quarterfinal play resumes Sunday with No. 4 Oakland (16-15, 10-6) vs. No. 5 Fort Wayne (15-16, 7-9) at 6 p.m. (Midco Sports Network / Fox College Sports).  The Mastodons and Golden Grizzlies will meet for the third time in four games, with IPFW winning both of the regular season meetings.
The second game of the evening, and last quarterfinal game to be played, pits No. 3 North Dakota State (22-8, 12-4) against No. 6 Kansas City (8-23, 5-11) at 8:30 p.m. CT (Midco Sports Network / Fox College Sports).
The winners of the 1 vs. 8 and 4 vs. 5 games will meet in the first semifinal Monday at 6 p.m. CT (Midco Sports Network / Fox College Sports) while the winners of the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 games will advance to the second semifinal at 8:30 p.m. (Midco Sports Network / Fox College Sports).
Tuesday's championship game is set for 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
The Summit League will be playing its tournament in Sioux Falls for the fifth consecutive season. For the fourth straight year, all men's and women's quarterfinal and semifinal games will be televised by Midco Sports Network throughout South Dakota, North Dakota and parts of rural Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The 2013 Tournament marks the second straight year that every game will be available live to a national cable television audience via Fox College Sports, who will show the men's and women's quarterfinals and semifinals via Midco Sports Network's feed. The Summit League Men's Basketball Championship game has appeared on ESPN or ESPN2 each of the last 19 years while the Women's Championship game will air on ESPNU for the fifth consecutive season.
Tickets for the 2013 Summit League Basketball Championship can be purchased at all TicketMaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Sioux Falls Arena Box Office.

'Roos Head To Tennessee Tech For BracketBuster Game

The 'Roos step out of conference play for the final time as it plays in the Ramada Worldwide BracketBuster Event, drawing Tennessee Tech. UMKC is 0-1 in BracketBuster games, falling last season at home to Wright State, 76-62. The 'Roos play their final three regular season games on the road, and then head to the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls. The two squads have played four times in their history, but the last meeting came on February 9, 1991 with a TTU win, 84-74. The Golden Eagles lead the series 3-1, with a 2-0 advantage in Cookeville. UMKC's lone win came on December 8, 1990 in Kansas City by a score of 87-78.
Tennessee Tech enters the contest with a 10-16 overall record, and is 4-10 in conference play. The Golden Eagles won at home on Thursday night against UT-Martin, an important win in the chase for a berth in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
The Golden Eagles are led by Jud Dillard, who averages 19.1 points per game, while also pulling down 7.8 rebounds per contest. They also get 10.3 points a contest from Dennis Ogbe, who is coming off a 23-point game on Thursday night. He also grabs 5.5 boards per game. Point guard Jere Samirrapas posts 112 assists and 46 steals to lead the team.
The Golden Eagles average 64.8 points and allow 67.5 per game. They have 310 assists and 420 turnovers, but out-rebound the opposition by 1.0 per contest. They shoot 42 percent overall and only 31.7 percent from three.
In a loss last Saturday to Oakland the two bright spots for the 'Roos were Nelson Kirksey and Thomas Staton. Kirksey matched his career-high with 18 points last Saturday against Oakland. He went 7-of-9 from the floor, and hit 3-of-4 from three-point range. Staton logged a career-high 38 minutes and scored 17 points.
Kansas City heads to Western Illinois for a 7:00 p.m. contest on the road this Thursday.

'Roos Look For Season Sweep Of Mastodons Thursday

The 'Roos have a big contest in terms of seeding for the Summit League Tournament on Thursday when IPFW comes to town. The 'Roos would be the fifth seed if the tournament started today, while IPFW would be seeded seventh, but only a game separates the two. It will be the 13th meeting between the 'Roos and Mastodons, with the series tied 6-6. The two squads split last season with each winning on the other's home floor. The 'Roos continued that trend earlier this year when it took a 63-59 win on January 19.
Fort Wayne enters the game after a dropping three in a row, including two against two of the top three teams in the league. The 'Roos handed IPFW its first home loss of the year on January 19.
The 'Dons are led by senior Frank Gaines, who is third in the Summit League at 19.3 points per game. The only other player in double figures is Luis Jacobo at 11.1 per contest. Mario Hines leads the 'Dons in rebounding at 5.6 a game.
As a team the Mastodons lead the league in offensive rebounding at 11.4 per game, while ranking second in rebound margin (+3.5). They score 65.3 and allow 65.6 points per contest. They are last in the league in free throw percentage however, at 64.7.
UMKC had several high points in the win over South Dakota on Saturday. Kansas City had 18 assists, the most since the second game of the season against Lincoln (Mo.), when they posted 20. The team also got 28 points out of the post position, with Fred Chatmon and Brad Reid combining to shoot 11-of-14 from the floor. Chatmon's 20 points matched a career-best, and he did it in his first game back from injury, sitting out the three games prior.
Kansas City got a career-high 17 points and career-best five threes from guard Nate Rogers on Saturday.
Junior Forward Kirk Korver also tallied 15 points against South Dakota, the second time he did that against USD this year. The 'Roos are now 6-1 (7-19 overall) on the season when he scores in double-figures, with the only loss coming by three to Albany.
With a victory the 'Roos will accomplish three important achievements. They will have won two games in a row for the first time this season, be two games up on the 'Dons with three to play in the conference and have swept IPFW for the first time ever in a season (and won two in a row in the series for the first time since 2008).
The game will be broadcast on WHB 810 AM and KSMO-TV channel 62.
Kansas City continues its home swing with its final home game of the year, Senior Night on Saturday against Oakland. The game will be nationally televised on Fox College Sports, as well as locally on KSMO.

UMKC Press Conference on Move to WAC Set for Thursday

The University of Missouri-Kansas City will be holding a press conference to formally announce the move to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) at 1:30 p.m. (CT) on Thursday in the Theatre at the Student Union (51st & Cherry St.) on the UMKC Volker campus. Officials in attendance will be UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton, UMKC Director of Athletics Tim Hall and WAC Interim Commissioner Jeff Hurd.
The public is invited to attend, and those unable to be there can watch live on a free video stream. There will be a link available on the day of the press conference, as well as a link to an audio stream of the presser, right here on UMKCKangaroos.com (links will be posted here once active).
UMKC will be using social media as well, and fans wanting to ask a question are encouraged to tweet them to @TheUMKCRoos with the hashtag #RoosToWAC. Some will be chosen and asked live at the press conference.

Kangaroos Complete Season Sweep Of Coyotes, 80-65

The UMKC men's basketball squad rolled to a season sweep of South Dakota on Saturday night, shooting 54.5 percent and taking an 80-65 win in front of a near sold out crowd at Swinney Recreation Center.

UMKC (7-19, 4-8 SL) moved into a tie with USD (8-16, 4-8 SL) for sixth place in the standings, just behind Omaha, who is ineligible for the league tournament.

Just like the last time they played, the 'Roos got open looks on offense due to good ball movement. They tallied 18 assists in the game, the most since the second game of the season against Lincoln (20). Nate Rogers tallied a career-best 17 points in the game, while Kirk Korver scored 15 against the Coyotes for the second time this season.

Kansas City worked inside-out though, with center Fred Chatmon matching his career-best with a game-high 20 points, and fellow post Brad Reid getting eight points, including a thunderous dunk in the first half. The 'Roos also used a 34-24 rebound edge, getting a career best seven from point guard Estan Tyler to go with his 14 points.

The Coyotes scored the game's first bucket, but Kansas City answered with the next nine points, including six from Reid inside. The 'Roos never trailed again.

UMKC built its lead to as many as eight in the first 10 minutes, but USD made a run to cut it to only a couple at the 6:42 mark. The 'Roos again came up big though, going on a 13-4 rally to make it an 11-point game with 4:09 before the break. They would cruise in with a 38-31 lead at the half.

The 'Roos had a 21-11 rebound edge, and shot 53.8 percent with five threes, while the Coyotes hit 44.8 percent.

The second stanza saw Kansas City light it up from long range, going 7-of-11 from three, and shooting 55.2 percent overall. USD would cut it to three points early in the half, but the 'Roos started hitting threes and making easy lay-ups inside due to some dishes and were up by 14 with 11:58 on the clock.

It was never single digits again, and UMKC led by as many as 17 before the end of the contest.

The 'Roos finished with 12 three-pointers, while USD hit only 4-of-16 from three. UMKC also had a 12-2 advantage in points off turnovers. Tyler dished out six assists, while Rogers had four in the contest. As a team the 'Roos also had only 10 turnovers.

The Coyotes were led by Trevor Gruis with 17 points, while Juevol Myles tallied 13.

Up next, Kansas City will host Fort Wayne on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. in Swinney Recreation Center.

UMKC Starts Three-Game Home Stand With Coyotes Saturday

The 'Roos look to end a couple losing skids on Saturday when South Dakota comes to town to kick off a three-game home stand. The 'Roos have lost five in a row overall, and their last nine at home, while South Dakota comes in dropping 5-of-6, including a loss to UMKC. It will be the fourth ever meeting between the 'Roos and Coyotes, with all of the games in the last two seasons. The 'Roos grabbed their first victory in the series on January 12 in Vermillion, 90-86. They shot a school record 82.6 percent in the second half. At Swinney, Kansas City is 0-1, having lost by a 76-57 score there on January 7, 2012.

South Dakota comes into the game with an 8-15 overall record, and is 4-7 in the Summit League. It has dropped five of the last six games after playing the 'Roos the first time around. The lone win came at Oakland.

The Coyotes are led by Kansas State transfer Juevol Myles, who paces the squad in points (15.2 ppg), assists (65) and steals (33). Forward Trevor Gruis averages 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Brandon Bos puts up 10.6 points a contest. They also have six players with at least 25 assists.

As a team the Coyotes average 71.2 points per contest to rank third in the league. They are the league's top free throw shooting team at 77.7 percent as well. Defensively, they give up 75.2 points a contest, ranking seventh.

Trinity Hall has been playing well since returning from injury. The junior forward had his second straight double-double, tallying a team-high 13 points and a career-best 11 rebounds vs. Houston Baptist. It was the third double-double of his career.

Estan Tyler (.450) and Thomas Staton (.455) rank fourth and third in the league in three-point shooting,  respectively, while Fred Chatmon's 7.6 rebounds per game this season rank third in the Summit League. Chatmon also ranks fourth in blocks (1.2 bpg) while Tyler is sixth in assists (3.1 apg).

Kansas City continues its home swing with a contest against IPFW on Thursday at 7 p.m.

UMKC Heading To The Western Athletic Conference

The University of Missouri-Kansas City has accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference. UMKC will begin play in the WAC during the next athletic year, effective July 1, 2013.

UMKC has notified the Summit League of its intention to withdraw from that conference, effective June 30, 2013.

UMKC will be immediately eligible for postseason championship play at both the conference and NCAA level in each of its 16 sports. The WAC holds an automatic NCAA postseason berth in each of the sponsored team sports.

The WAC has a 50-year history of intercollegiate competition and has had tremendous success in the NCAA postseason in all of its sports during this time. In men's basketball, the WAC has sent at least two teams to the NCAA Tournament in 24 of the past 29 seasons. UMKC becomes the ninth member of the Western Athletic Conference in 2013-14, joining California State University, Bakersfield; Chicago State University; Grand Canyon University; University of Idaho; New Mexico State University; Seattle University, The University of Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley University.

"We accepted the invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference because of the strong potential alignment it offers with our strategic objectives related to community engagement and financial strength," said UMKC Chancellor Leo E. Morton.

"We are extremely pleased with the addition of UMKC to the WAC family," said WAC Interim Commissioner Jeff Hurd. "It not only solidifies our membership for the 2013-14 season, but also gives us a strong core of institutions that will help the WAC reestablish itself as a top Division I conference."

"We are excited about this new era in UMKC Athletics," Director of Athletics Tim Hall said. "We look forward to competing alongside the institutions in the WAC and providing a great experience for our student-athletes."

UMKC and WAC officials will discuss the move in detail at a press conference Thursday Feb. 14 on the UMKC Campus. The start time and location for the press conference will be announced at a later date.

Huskies Jump Out Early, 'Roos Never Recover In 66-45 Loss

Houston Baptist jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Wednesday night and Kansas City men's basketball never recovered in a 66-45 loss on the road.

The 'Roos (6-19) went into the first media timeout in a 14-0 hole, even after two called timeouts by head coach Matt Brown. The 'Roos had more turnovers than shot attempts, and failed to record a rebound until the 14:40 mark.

Nate Rogers tried to keep Kansas City in the game, scoring 10 of the first 14 points, but the 'Roos could never cut the Houston Baptist (8-14) advantage to less than nine the rest of the game.

With 8:16 on the clock, a Rogers three put the score to 25-16, but Kansas City failed to hit a field goal until the 3:01 mark and was outscored 12-4 during a run that put HBU up by as many as 18 with 1:12 remaining. The Huskies went into the break with a 37-21 lead.

The 'Roos shot 35 percent and made 11 turnovers in the half, while HBU hit 50 percent and had an 18-10 advantage on the glass. Rogers led UMKC with 11, while Anthony Hill went 4-of-5 from three-point land and paced the Huskies with 12.

The second stanza was much closer, and very even statistically, but Kansas City never got the margin into single digits. HBU answered every UMKC run, and went up by as many as 23 in the final two minutes.

It was the fifth straight loss for Kansas City, and the third in a row by at least 20 points.

The 'Roos shot 31.8 percent for the game, while Houston Baptist hit for 47.4 percent. The Huskies finished with a 39-31 rebound edge and 19 turnovers, but Kansas City had 22 miscues. The Huskies also scored 17 points on 12 offensive rebounds.

UMKC was led by Trinity Hall with his second straight double-double, tallying a team-high 13 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. It was the third double-double of his career. Rogers finished the night with 11 points. Art Bernardi tallied 15 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Huskies.

Kansas City returns home for the next three games, starting with South Dakota on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. The contest will be televised on KSMO in Kansas City.

Kangaroos Look For Revenge Against Huskies Wednesday

The 'Roos finish their three-game road swing with a warmer climate on Wednesday when they face Houston Baptist for the second time this season. Kansas City enters on a four-game skid, while HBU has won its last three contests. It will be the fourth meeting between the 'Roos and Huskies, with Kansas City holding a 2-1 lead. The first two meetings were decided by double-digit points in favor of UMKC, but HBU took the meeting on January 22 by a 63-61 score.

Houston Baptist enters the game with a 7-14 overall record and a 1-3 mark in Great West play. The Huskies have won three straight coming into Wednesday's contest, including a 63-61 win over the 'Roos on January 22.

They are led in scoring by forward Art Bernardi with 14.8 points per game. Caleb Crayton has come on as of late, recording 6.3 points and 3.8 rebounds a contest. Their second and third leading scorers are both out.

As a team the Huskies shoot only 41.5 percent, and 29.8 percent from three, while scoring 63.6 points per game. They have a 0.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, and make 17.6 miscues a contest.

In their last game, UMKC had two players with 10+ rebounds in Trinity Hall and Brad Reid. It was the first time that has happened since January 29, 2011 (NDSU) by Spencer Johnson and Jay Cousinard. Reid became the 10th different player on the team to have scored double figure points, and the ninth guy to lead the team in points for a contest.

Kansas City comes back home for three games, its last three of the season, when it faces South Dakota on Saturday at 5:15 p.m.

Also, UMKC found out on Monday that it will face Tennessee Tech out of the Ohio Valley Conference  in the BracketBuster on February 23 at 7:00 p.m.

UMKC To Face Tennessee Tech In BracketBuster On February 23

Kansas City men's basketball will head to Tennesee Tech of the Ohio Valley Conference on Saturday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the Ramada BracketBuster event, presented by ESPN.

The pairings for the 11th annual event, which is a two-day men's college basketball weekend pitting potential NCAA Championship hopefuls against each other Feb. 22-23, were announced Monday on ESPNU. There are 122 teams from 15 conferences involved in the 2013 event.

UMKC's RPI coming into the week stands at 264, while Tennessee Tech posts a 257 RPI. The two squads have played four times in their history, but the last meeting came on February 9, 1991. The Golden Eagles lead the series 3-1, with a 2-0 advantage in Cookesville. UMKC's lone win came on December 8, 1990 in Kansas City by a score of 87-78.

Two of The Summit League's tri-leaders, North Dakota State (18-5) and South Dakota State (18-6), were selected among the 13 televised matchups. The Bison play at Mid-American Conference leader Akron on Friday, Feb. 22 (7 p.m. ET on ESPN2) while the Jackrabbits play the following day at Murray State (8 p.m. ET on ESPN2). Both games will also be available on the WatchESPN website and app.

Remaining matchups involving Summit League teams include:

           Cleveland State (Horizon) at Western Illinois

           Morehead State (Ohio Valley) at Oakland

           North Dakota (Big Sky) at Omaha

           South Dakota at Montana State (Big Sky)

           Bowling Green (Mid-American) at Fort Wayne

           Milwaukee (Horizon) at IUPUI

Jackrabbits Run Past Kangaroos, 88-57

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits got out and ran on Saturday, and extended their Summit League record home win streak to 28 games in an 88-57 rout of Kansas City. The home crowd of 4,290 at Frost Arena saw the hosts take a 20-point halftime lead and never look back.

The 'Roos (6-18, 3-8 SL) offensive struggles continued in the early going, with only two points in the first seven minutes. The Jacks (18-6, 9-2 SL) used that to build a 26-6 lead by the 8:14 mark. The UMKC offense finally woke up in the final eight minutes though, scoring 24 points the rest of the way, playing dead even with SDSU the rest of the half.

The Jacks held a 50-30 lead at the break, getting up by as many as 24 in the period. Nate Rogers scored six points for the 'Roos to lead the scoring punch, hitting two threes in the final 1:34. The 'Roos heated up to shoot 40.7 percent in the half, but SDSU hit 53.3 percent, including six threes and 12 free throws. Nate Wolters had 12 points and Jordan Dykstra hit for 14 in the half for the hosts. South Dakota State also had a 19-12 advantage on the glass.

The second stanza started much more quickly for Kansas City, as they opened on a 7-1 run to make it a 14-point game with 16:28 on the clock. The Jacks answered quickly though, and never let it get any closer. With 11 minutes to play, South Dakota State started an 11-2 run to make it 72-44 with 7:10 left, virtually icing it.

The benches emptied in the final five minutes as the lead got to as many as 35.

Kansas City did a much better job on the glass in the second half, and had a 24-23 edge in rebounds. Junior forward Trinity Hall picked up his second career double-double in the contest, scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 boards. Senior center Brad Reid also picked up 10 rebounds, his second double-digit rebounding performance in the last three games.

The scoring leader was sophomore guard Estan Tyler, who put up 13, including 3-of-7 from three-point range. The Jackrabbits had five players in double figures, led by Wolters' 18 points and six assists. Dykstra finished with 16 points and nine boards.

The 'Roos shot 33.9 percent for the game, while SDSU hit 47.4 percent. The Jacks were red-hot from three-point range as well, hitting 10-of-19, compared to UMKC's 6-of-20 clip.

Kansas City will hit the road on Wednesday for a return trip to Houston Baptist. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm tipoff in Houston, Texas.

'Roos Continue Road Swing, Face Red-Hot Jacks On Saturday

The 'Roos will face the hottest team in the league on Saturday when it heads to Brookings for a battle with South Dakota State. Kansas City has lost three in a row, while SDSU boasts a six-game win streak.  It will be the 15th meeting between the 'Roos and Jackrabbits, with SDSU holding a 9-5 lead in the series. The Jacks have won the last three contests, and seven of the last eight. The last win for UMKC came on Jan. 27, 2011 by a 63-58 score on the road.

South Dakota State comes in with a 17-6 overall mark and an 8-2 record in Summit League play. The Jackrabbits were picked to win the conference. They are currently on a six-game win streak with victories over both North Dakota State and Western Illinois.

They are led by preseason Summit League Player of the Year Nate Wolters, who averages 20.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. Jordan Dykstra puts up 13.0 points and 7.1 boards a game, while Tony Fiegen is averaging 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds a contest.

As a team the Jacks lead the conference in scoring at 72.3 points per game, and assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.4. They also shoot 45.6 percent from the field and hit 74.6 percent from the foul line. The Jackrabbits have an eight-man rotation with five players averaging 30 or more minutes per game.

This has been a trying season for the 'Roos and their fans. The team is 6-17 and coming off a 71-34 bludgeoning at North Dakota State on Thursday. In that game UMKC made only 11 shots while turning it over 18 times. It is its lowest point total ever in conference play and the 37 point margin of defeat was the second biggest in a conference game for the school.

Kansas City finishes its road swing, this time against Houston Baptist in the second half of a home-and-home series this Wednesday.

UMKC's Offense Goes Cold At North Dakota State, 71-34

The temperature wasn't the only thing that was cold on Thursday in Fargo as Kansas City men's basketball shot 26 percent and was stifled by North Dakota State, 71-34.

Kansas City's point total was the lowest ever in a conference game, and it was the second largest margin of defeat in league play.

The opening half was a slow starting one to say the least as it was 0-0 at the first media timeout with 15:26 to play. North Dakota State (17-5, 8-2 SL) heated up a little after the 10 minute mark though, and pushed its lead to 20-7 with 5:11 on the clock. Kansas City (6-17, 3-7 SL) didn't reach double-figures until only one minute remained in the period, and went into the half down 28-12.

It was the fewest number of points in a half all season for the 'Roos, who shot 23.8 percent. Caleb Johnson came in to grab six points off the bench to lead UMKC, matching his career-high.

The second stanza was all Bison as well, as the margin got to 25 by the 11:55 mark on a fastbreak dunk. With 7:31 on the clock it was up to 37, and got to as many as 41 before the night was done.

The 'Roos, who were playing without leading rebounder Fred Chatmon, were out-rebounded by a 43-24 margin. That, combined with 49 percent shooting from NDSU, as well as a 30-4 advantage in points off turnovers, resulted in the final margin.

Trinity Hall led the 'Roos with nine points, while NDSU was paced by 14 from Mike Felt.

Kansas City will head to South Dakota State on Saturday for a game at 4:05 p.m. that will be televised on Fox College Sports.

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.

UNO Rally In Second Period To Knock Off 'Roos, 67-59

UMKC took an 11-point lead into the half, but Omaha rallied and outscored the 'Roos 37-18 in the final stanza to sweep the season series, 67-59 on Saturday night.

The 'Roos (6-16, 3-6 SL) looked unstoppable in the first half on offense, scoring 41 points and getting 34 of those in the paint. It was the most points in the paint in a half all season, while tallying 14 off eight offensive boards. Omaha (7-16, 4-6 SL) was also forced into 12 turnovers in the period.

Kansas City scored the first six points of the half and never trailed in the opening period. Omaha tied the game at 14 with 12:20 on the clock, but the 'Roos went on a 6-0 run sparked by a layup from senior Brad Reid. UMKC led by six with 5:15 to play in the half, and extended it with an 8-1 run to its biggest advantage of the night at 13 with 3:21 left. The 'Roos went into the half up 41-30.

Reid had a career half, putting up a season-high 10 points and a career-best 10 rebounds. Thomas Staton added eight first period points. Justin Simmons led the Mavs with 11 points. The 'Roos led in nearly every statistical category at the break.

The second half was a different story though. Omaha held UMKC to only 18 points, with only 12 in the paint, and turned 12 turnovers into 15 Maverick points.

UNO started chipping away at the lead with about 16 minutes to play. It used a 10-2 run to cut the lead to only one with 11:58 on the clock. It held Kansas City scoreless for more than seven minutes and took the lead with 10 minutes on the clock. After a couple lead changes around the eight minute mark, Omaha took the advantage for good on a bucket by Simmons with 6:22 to play.

The Mavs got up by six with less than three minutes left, and then sealed it at the free throw line down the stretch after late turnovers from the 'Roos. It was the ninth straight home loss for Kansas City, the longest since 1988.

Reid and Staton each finished the night with 12 points for UMKC, while Reid tallied 13 boards. He became only the second 'Roo to record a double-double this season (Fred Chatmon being the other). Kansas City was held to 29.2 percent shooting the final half while UNO hit 50 percent. Simmons led the Mavs with 21 points, putting his average at 23.5 per game against UMKC this season.

The 'Roos will head to North Dakota State on Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. tip in Fargo.

'Roos Host Mavericks In Coaches Vs. Cancer Game Saturday

The 'Roos start the second half of conference play on Saturday as Omaha comes to town for a 5:15 contest. The Mavericks knocked off UMKC last time the two met in late December, but both squads are coming off road wins in league play entering the night.

It will be the second time UMKC has faced the Mavericks in Kansas City, and second as a member of the Summit League. Earlier this season in Omaha, UNO grabbed a 77-65 win.

Last season they met for the first time as Division I schools, with Kansas City taking the game at home by a 77-74 score. This will be only the third meeting between the two schools in the Division I ranks.

Omaha is 6-16 overall and 3-6 in the Summit league after knocking off South Dakota on the road Thursday. UNO is in its second year as a Division I school after transitioning from D-II.

The Mavericks are led by Justin Simmons with 15.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, while forward John Karhoff has posted 12.0 points per outing. They are led in rebounding by Alex Welhouse at 4.8 per contest.

As a team the Mavs allow 83.4 points per game and .491 shooting percentage. They also have a -7.9 rebound margin and -2.5 turnover margin. Offensively they score 70.2 points a game and shoot 46.3 percent.

In Tuesday night’s loss to Houston Baptist, Fred Chatmon pulled in a career-best 17 rebounds and recorded his third double-double of the season. His 17 boards were the most for a 'Roo since Spencer Johnson recorded 18 vs. Western Illinois on January 22, 2011. Chatmon has now recorded double-digit rebounds in his last two games, moving his total to five  this year. The Junior forward is the only player on the team to have one this season, and one of two to have one in his career here (Trinity Hall being the other).

As mentioned in previous articles the 'Roos are lead by the trio of Chatmon, Estan Tyler and Thomas Staton, but have started to receive support from Hall recently as he returns from his injury.

As UMKC’s offense has started to get hot its defense has cooled off. In the last five games the 'Roos have shot .498, but have allowed opponents to shoot .531 percent during that stretch.

Kansas City next heads to North Dakota State on Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. contest with the league-leading Bison.

Chatmon's Double-Double Not Enough As 'Roos Fall to Huskies, 63-61

A running three-point attempt at the buzzer by the 'Roos missed short on Tuesday night as Kansas City men's basketball fell to Houston Baptist by a 63-61 margin. Junior center Fred Chatmon hit a free throw with 1:11 left to give the 'Roos a 61-60 advantage, but three made charities in the final 31 seconds gave the win to the Huskies.

The 'Roos (6-15) got a huge night from Chatmon, who recorded a career-high 17 rebounds to go with 10 points, his third double-double of the year, but it wasn't enough as HBU (5-14) forward Art Bernardi tallied 25 points, eight rebounds and five steals. The loss was the eighth straight for UMKC at home, while HBU snapped an eight-game skid.

Kansas City led for most of the game, and pulled out of a tie at the 13:55 mark of the first half with a 6-0 run. The 'Roos stretched that lead to as many as nine on three occasions during the period, with the latest coming on a layup by junior Nelson Kirksey with 1:53 left in the half.

The Huskies finished the half on a 5-0 run though, getting two steals and converting both to fastbreak layups in the final 1:03. The rally closed the gap to 35-31 in favor of the 'Roos at the half. Kansas City went 5-of-10 from three and 47 percent in the half, while HBU shot 42 percent and hit 3-of-7 from three. Kirksey and Estan Tyler each had nine to pace UMKC.

The second stanza saw the 'Roos come out strong though, and went up by 11 on a three from Thomas Staton with 17:27 on the clock. The Huskies got it down to six a few minutes later, but another UMKC run pushed it back to 11 with 13:59 left.

Slowly, the Huskies chipped away. They held Kansas City to only one bucket from the 11 minute mark until 4:48 was on the clock. During that span, HBU out-scored UMKC 13-2 and took its first lead of the night at 58-56 with 5:15 to play.

UMKC regained the lead at 61-60 with 1:11 to play, but two Bernardi free throws with 31 seconds left gave it back to HBU, followed by a stop from the Huskies defense, forcing Kansas City to foul with five seconds left. Houston Baptist hit one of the free throws, and UMKC raced to the other end of the floor for the game-winning attempt, but Tyler's running three was off the mark at the buzzer.

Also in double-figures outside of Chatmon was Kirksey with 14 and Staton with 12. Kansas City was held to 31 percent in the final half, while HBU hit 48 percent. The Huskies scored 26 points off Kansas City turnovers as well, while UMKC out-scored HBU by 12 in the paint.

Kansas City will get back into conference play on Saturday as Omaha comes to town for a 5:15 p.m. contest, kicking off the second round of Summit League action.

'Roos Face Huskies In Final Non-Conference Home Game Tuesday

The 'Roos play their final non-conference home game of the year on Tuesday when Houston Baptist comes to town. The 'Roos are looking to snap a seven-game skid at home, while the Huskies come in on an eight-game losing streak overall.

It will be the third meeting between the 'Roos and Huskies, with Kansas City holding a 2-0 lead. Both meetings were decided by double-digit points, with UMKC taking the last decision by a 73-51 score at home on December 21, 2010. HBU is the only D-I team Matt Brown is 2-0 or better against as the head coach at UMKC.

Houston Baptist enters the game with a 4-14 overall record and a 0-3 mark in Great West play. The Huskies have lost eight straight coming into Tuesday's contest.

They are led in scoring by forward Art Bernardi with 13.5 points per game, while guard Tyler Russell is the only other player in double figures with 11.4 points a contest. Bernardi also leads the team in rebounding at 5.8 per game, while Marcus Davis pulls down 5.3 per outing.

As a team the Huskies shoot only 40 percent, and 28 percent from three, while scoring 61.8 points per game. They have a 0.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, and make 17.7 miscues a contest.

Kansas City just came off a road swing in which it won 2-of-3 games in league play. It was the first time the 'Roos have done that since January 27-February 5 of 2011.

Again the 'Roos will be led by the trio of Estan Tyler, Thomas Staton and Fred Chatmon. The three rank in the top five in several Summit League categories. Also, UMKC has been bolstered by the return of Trinity Hall. The junior forward tallied 11 points in only his second game back from injury Saturday. It was only his second double-digit scoring performance of the year, but the 26th of his career.

Kansas City will continue the home stand with the second round of conference play starting on Saturday against Omaha at 5:15 p.m.