KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Western Illinois went scoreless during a six minute stretch of the second half and UMKC hit 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to seal a 55-46 decision on Saturday night (Jan. 22). The Leathernecks dropped to 7-12 overall and 2-7 in the Summit League.
The Leathernecks took a four-point lead early in the second half thanks to Kaimarr Price two free throws, going ahead 32-28. From there the Kangaroos (12-8, 5-4) went on a 10-0 run as five different players scored.
Matt Lander ended the streak thanks to a 3-pointer, as both teams traded shots from long distance. Lander hit another jumper, then later Price's dunk on a putback cut the deficit to 44-42 at the 4:21 mark.
Jay Couisnard hit a scoop shot in the lane and Spencer Johnson added a jumper to make it a six point game. UMKC was just 4-of-12 at the free throw line from that point, however, the Kangaroos made 7-of-8 from the charity stripe over the final two minutes to pull away.
Head coach Jim Molinari noted the difference in the second half.
"Twenty-two free throws (for UMKC) is what happened, that changed the game. I thought we came out to play tonight, I'm proud of our guys," said Molinari. "There were a lot of good things by our guys tonight. (After Thursday night) I wanted us to share the ball more, which we did, and move the ball better, which we tried to do. They played UMKC extremely hard, and kept us in the game to give us a chance to win."
Brandon Smith started the scoring by banking in a 3-pointer, and led to a career-best half for the senior guard. UMKC used the long range shot to take a 20-13 lead when Spencer Johnson (2) and Michael Gholston combined for three straight 3-pointers. Gholston hit another at the nine minute mark to cap an 11-4 run as Western trailed by seven.
The Leatherneck defense held UMKC without a field goal from that point on, and just two free throws. Price converted a three-point play, Lander drained a 3-pointer and Smith responded with another '3' as Western eventually would go into the locker room tied at 22-all. Smith missed on a 30-footer at the buzzer, just off the rim, but did tally 11 points in the first half to lead all scorers.
Western shot 36.4 percent from the field in the first half, including 4-of-10 from long range. Johnson hit three 3-pointers in the first half as the Kangaroos shot 25 percent from the field but were 5-of-15 from long range.
Overall, Lander led the Leathernecks with 15 points. Price turned in his third double-double this year, 13 points and 10 rebounds in addition to equaling his career-high of four assists.
Smith scored all 11 of his points in the first half, one off his career-high. The senior guard set career-highs with three 3-pointers and five rebounds.
Western held a plus-3 advantage on the glass in the first half, but eventually got out-rebounded 41-31. The Leathernecks shot 35 percent for the game, but only 6-of-11 at the free throw line. UMKC ended 36 percent from the floor and was 16-of-30 at the free throw line.
Johnson finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds. Couisnard added 11 points, six shy of his season average.
The Leathernecks step out of Summit League play this Wednesday night (Jan. 26), playing host to North Carolina Central. Tip at Western Hall is scheduled for 7 p.m. and begins a season-long four-game homestand.
