UMKC forward Kenny Simms and his teammates fought hard against Oral Roberts University but fell in defeat 75-47.

Oral Roberts manhandles UMKC 75-47

Golden Eagles remain perfect in Summit league play

By: Dan Stroud

Posted: 1/28/08

Oral Roberts University (ORU) hit the court Thursday night at Kemper Arena on a mission. The assignment they obviously chose to accept was to prove they were up to the challenge of dismantling a Summit League team before the second half even began.

"Coach told us to keep pressuring the ball," said ORU senior guard Adam Liberty. "We made sure we kept our hand on the ball every time they made a pass."

The fact that UMKC (7-14, 2-6 in Summit League) hit the court with just nine healthy players and finished with seven standing likely contributed to what UMKC head coach Matt Brown called "obviously … our worst performance of the year." After the dust had settled, ORU (13-5, 8-0 in Summit) had run away victorious 75-47.

Golden Eagle head coach Scott Sutton was succinct in explaining what he felt happened in the game.

"I thought we came out with a great deal of energy," Sutton said. "I thought our athleticism really gave [UMKC] problems."

After the first 20 minutes of action, the Golden Eagles had schooled the Kangaroos on both ends of the court. Shooting 50 percent from the floor in the opening stanza and playing a tenacious defense that seemed to stun the Roos, Liberty dropped an exclamation trey from 25 feet away as the buzzer sounded.

The basket gave the Golden Eagles a seemingly insurmountable 42-19 lead at the intermission. The Kangaroos shot a paltry 25.9 percent in the opening period, hitting seven of 27 shots from the field and one of nine from beyond the three-point line.

The second half would not start much better for UMKC as ORU went on a 10-3 run to extend the lead to 30 points with 16:36 still to play. Nothing seemed to go the Kangaroos' way on this night.

Though they continued to play with the no-quit character instilled in them by their first-year coaching staff, the bitter dose of reality seemed to hit the Roos hard.

The team that had played close to the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and cross-state foe Mizzou for more than 30 minutes in each contest had no answer for the Golden Eagles.

"We did a lot that didn't help our case tonight," said UMKC senior guard Dane Brumagin. "That's what's going to happen if we don't come ready to play. We've just got to get back … and make sure that this doesn't happen again."

With each passing minute, the Roos seemed to unravel more and more. On one play at the nine-minute mark, UMKC freshman guard Nathan Balch threw where no teammate was standing. The obvious mental lapse (whether by Balch or someone else) was indicative of the way the entire night went.

Injuries seem to continue to plague the Kangaroos. Junior Akeem Hemingway had mentioned suffering a ligament injury to classmates earlier in the day and freshman Reggie Hamilton had a noticeable limp after seeing just five minutes of game action.

Brumagin, who scored just two points on the evening, and senior Tim Blackwell, who garnered just four of his own from the field, each logged more than 34 minutes of action. Balch, playing in an extended role, likely due to the injured players, scored a team-high 12 points for UMKC.

Brown refused to dwell on his team's injuries and spoke to what needed to happen next.

"It really doesn't make a difference who we have available to play," said a dejected Brown. "We still have to come out Saturday focused, and play with what we've got."

dstroud@unews.com