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UMKC junior forward Kenny Sims forces his shot up to the basket as Centenary defenders aggressively defend against a score.

UMKC junior guard Dane Brumagin scored 29 in the Kangaroos 76-73 victory over the Gents.

Kangaroos right the ship with win over Centenary 76-73

By: Dan Stroud

Posted: 1/28/08

The UMKC Kangaroos (8-14, 3-6 in Summit) escaped on Saturday night from Kemper Arena with a 76-73 win over the Centenary Gents (9-12, 3-6 in the Summit) in Summit League play.

Coming out of the gates after a miserable defeat at the hands of Oral Roberts University on Thursday night, the UMKC Kangaroos seemed poised for some payback and the Centenary Gents were caught in the Roo's headlights.

The squad rolled out to a 40-21 lead off stellar shooting by UMKC junior guard Dane Brumagin who knocked down a team-high 29 points, and hard penetrations through the lane to the basket by senior guard Tim Blackwell and freshman guard Reggie Hamilton.

It was the first time all season UMKC head coach Matt Brown and his gang enjoyed such a lead during a game.

"I don't think we've been up 19 points all year long," Brown said. "I honestly don't like to see it go the other way. But I thought our kids played with a lot of character and heart tonight."

The Roos seemed to be hitting on all cylinders and it looked as if they would glide into intermission with a comfortable double-digit lead. But the Gents refused to cooperate.

Centenary went on a 17-4 run, stealing UMKC's momentum and left the court trailing 44-38 with 20 minutes to play.

UMKC senior guard Tim Blackwell didn't think the Gents' rally affected his team that much.

"It was good to get off to that lead, but this is college basketball … every team makes runs," Blackwell said. "… [W]e just had to keep fighting."

The Kangaroos shot 53.8 percent from the field in the first period while the Gents were held to 38.5 percent.

The second half started fast with both squads running up and down the court, both shooting at a near 50 percent clip. With 14:03 remaining on the clock, Centenary freshman forward Anthony Gatlin nailed a trey that tied the contest 54-54.

Three minutes later, the Gents took the lead 57-56. Brown called timeout and beckoned his squad to the bench for a chat. The head man did all the talking … and the players seemed to listen.

But it would take another eight points put on the board by the Gents before UMKC would hit its next shot. The clock showed 6:20 to play and Centenary held the lead 65-60.

Playing with urgency, the Kangaroos hit consecutive treys by freshman forward James Humphrey and Brumagin. The clock showed 3:31 on the latter's three-point play and the score was tied once more at 69-69.

With one minute to play and the Kangaroos leading on a made trey by Blackwell, the squad needed a stop. They got it, ran the court and seemed poised to put the game away.

But a missed three-pointer by Blackwell and a questionable timeout awarded to the Gents off a loose ball gave Centenary control of the game. A shot by the Gents with nine seconds remaining was called off on an over-the-back foul against Hamilton.

Centenary head coach Rob Flaska gave the Kangaroos credit for their performance, though he had concerns about that late call.

"Obviously it was a controversial tip-in," Flaska said. "But credit the Kangaroos, they stepped up and made the plays and we didn't."

Hamilton took the two shots, made them both and gave the Kangaroos the last lead they would need. The Gents then inbounded the ball and quickly called time out.

They would take possession at half court with 7.8 seconds remaining on the clock. There was an in-bound pass from Centenary guard Chase Adams to his teammate junior guard Tyrone Hamilton who would take the final shot. It hit the rim and on the rebound fell into the waiting arms of Humphrey to end the game.

UMKC hits the road next week and will face off with Western Illinois University on Jan. 31 and won't return home until Feb. 14. Centenary now heads to Tulsa to meet up with Oral Roberts before returning home on Feb. 7.

dstroud@unews.com