UMKC loses ‘track meet’ contest at Swinney Recreation Center

The men’s basketball team at UMKC took on South Dakota on Thursday night at Swinney Recreation Center on campus and the game’s pace was exactly what a contest between two teams who like to push the tempo should have been.

All season long, it’s been the ambition of the UMKC men’s basketball team (3-6) to up the tempo on its opponents, creating turnovers and easy offense for itself as a result. Not far from the track at Swinney Recreation Center which UMKC students use for exercise, the Roos got their desired “track meet” affair with a South Dakota (7-2) team that favors a similar tempo. Unfortunately for UMKC, they ended up on the short side of an 82-63 score.

Coming into the game, the Roos were aware that not only could the Coyotes match their tempo, but UMKC’s defense would have to limit the production of a pair of South Dakota players who both came into the contest averaging 14 points each. The Roos were able to hold junior forward Tyler Hagedorn to just four points, but junior guard Matt Mooney took on the Roos defense to put up 30 points on the night. Head coach Kareem Richardson spoke about the team’s effort on defense against the Coyotes’ pair.

"“I thought we did a good job of pressuring Tyler’s shots. He’s a tricky five man to guard because he can step out and shoot the ball. He isn’t a traditional five man who’s just looking to post up. But, Mooney is a heck of a player. It was our scheme to try to slow those two guys down. We did a good job on Tyler but Mooney going for 30, he’s really improved from last year. His body looks better, he’s stronger and more physical. He made some tough shots but that’s what a good player does.”"

South Dakota was also victorious because it was able to take advantage of UMKC’s inexperience. The breakneck speed of the game forced the Roos to rotate more fresh bodies and some players like sophomore guard Isaiah Ross had to spend time on the bench with multiple fouls as well. Ross, who had led the team with 27 points in the previous game, spent only 23 minutes on the floor. When he was on the court, the Coyotes limited him to 1-of-8 shooting. Richardson spoke about how his team handled the game’s tempo.

"“I felt like our defensive energy from our tournament in Florida to UT Martin, it wasn’t the same. When you have an inexperienced group like this, you’re going to have nights like this. I just hope it’s just one night. For whatever reason, the defensive energy wasn’t there.”"

Three UMKC players were able to find some room to make an impact. Sophomore guard Xavier Bishop led the team with 16 points. Also scoring in double figures was sophomore forward Jordan Giles at 12 and junior forward Aleer Leek with 10. Leek also led the team in rebounds with six. Bishop and Ross each had two assists, while freshman guard Tony Jackson recorded two steals to lead the team there.

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The Roos will now hit the road for their next three games, with the first of those contests coming on Wednesday at Southeast Missouri.