Box score

Kangaroos hold off vibrant Ichabods, 79-75

By: Dan Stroud

Posted: 11/12/07

On a clear cool night inside the Municipal Arena in downtown Kansas City, the UMKC men's basketball team fought their way clear of an early season letdown and rolled up an uncomfortably close victory.
Facing an energized Division II team in Washburn University, the Roos fell prey to an age old lesson: Never underestimate anyone on any given day or at any given time. With the score tied 65-65 with as little as 5:27 remaining in the contest, this 79-75 victory was anything and everything but easy for UMKC.
UMKC men's Head Basketball Coach Matt Brown said essentially the game marked a role reversal for the Roos, who, after facing the Goliath known as the University of Kansas in their last game, became the Giant to Washburn's David.
The coach, while pleased with the way his squad continued to shoot the ball (52.1 percent from the floor on the night), was far from satisfied with another major aspect of their game. It seems the Ichabods shot pretty well themselves, hitting 45 percent from the field, ergo the close final score.
"I'm trying to teach our guys [Kangaroos] that defense should always be a constant for us," Brown said. "[It's about] how hard we play, how hard we hustle … no matter who we play or what day we practice … [defense] should always be constant."
With the exception of an 11-0 run at the beginning of the second half, every play the Kangaroos made seemed to be answered by the Ichabods. There seemed no separation between Division I and Division II on this particular evening.
UMKC never seemed desperate to score during the game, but as the seconds ticked away, many in the crowd began to openly worry about the Kangaroos allowing Washburn to stay within striking distance of the lead, and more importantly, the victory.
UMKC senior guard Dane Brumagin echoed his coach's concerns after the contest. Brumagin served up 15 points along with four rebounds and three assists, but who was counting? Evidently, it wasn't him.
"It seemed like we were a step slow tonight," Brumagin said. "We have to make up our minds not to get beat on the little things."
As the game got later and later, one player on the Kangaroos team seemed to rise a little further above the fray. UMKC senior forward Brent Stephens, who had struggled mightily to get 11 points on Sunday night against an extremely physical and nationally ranked Kansas team, was the featured scorer on this evening.
Stephens put up a career high 28 points, which included a perfect 11-11 night at the charity stripe. In the late going, the senior scored 10 of the last 15 points in the contest for UMKC. He, too, had improvement on his mind first and foremost.
"Offensively, I think we're all [team] playing at a very high level," Stephens said. "Defensively … I had a horrible game. As a senior, I've got to step up and do a better job."
In the end, UMKC, who toed the line with only 7-11 shooting from the free throw line against KU, picked up, and made 11 of their last 13 shots down the stretch against the Ichabods.
Despite the struggles, Brown seemed content with victory.
"The good news is we learned our lesson," Brown said. "We don't want to come out that way again."
dstroud@unews.com