MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois led by as many as eight points in the first half, but a 23-5 run by UMKC sent the Fighting Leathernecks (7-19, 5-11) to a 53-47 loss on Senior Night, Monday, Feb. 21 at Western Hall.
In what was the final home game for seniors Jackie Barton, Anne Borgertpoepping and Erica Lewis, the Leathernecks jumped out to an early 12-4 lead as Sadie Webb hit two three-pointers in the opening seven minutes.
"The end of our time here hasn't really sunk in yet," said Borgertpoepping. "We still have games left and we have to focus on those. We've had a great time here but we still have to focus on the job remaining."
The Kangaroos (13-14, 8-8) would storm back, scoring nine straight points to take a 13-12 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half.
A layup by Lewis would give the Leathernecks a 14-13 lead with 8:22 remaining. UMKC would tie the game at 14-14 before taking the lead back on a Simone Bridges three-pointer with 7:23 on the clock.
Barton's three with just over five minutes left tied the game at 17-17, but the Kangaroos would outscore the Leathernecks 12-4 over the final five minutes to head to the locker room with a 29-21 lead.
UMKC would cling to a small lead for much of the second half before Western Illinois took the lead, 41-39, when Barton connected on another long-range shot with 5:14 left in regulation.
Kim Nezianya's layup would pull the Kangaroos even (41-41) in the next possession before Michele Salvatori banked in a layup to give the Leathernecks their final lead of the game (43-41) with four minutes remaining.
The Kangaroos would hit four free throws in a row to take a two-point lead (45-43) with just under two minutes to go. Western Illinois cut the deficit to just two points on two occasions in the final minute, but UMKC would seal the victory with six free throws in the final minute.
Webb paced the Leathernecks with 11 points and eight rebounds while Barton finished with nine points and was 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. Lewis chipped in with eight points and Borgertpoepping dished out four assists.
"It felt good to be out there with Anne and Jackie for the final time at home," said Lewis. "It was emotional but it felt really great to be on the floor with those two at the same time."
Eilise O'Connor led UMKC with a game-high 16 points while Dayon Hill-Jones scored 10. Nezianya ripped down a game-high 10 rebounds and scored six points.
Western Illinois shot 29.6 percent (16-for-54) from the floor and was 5-for-16 from beyond the arc. The Leathernecks grabbed 47 rebounds and committed 12 turnovers.
UMKC shot 29.0 percent (18-for-62) in the game including 89.5 percent (17-for-19) from the charity stripe. The Kangaroos ripped down 47 boards and committed 16 turnovers.
"It's really important for us to play well and get some momentum heading into the tournament," said Barton. "We've got a chance to get something positive going before then and we have to take advantage of that."
The Leathernecks will hit the road for their final regular-season games of the season against Oral Roberts (Feb. 26) and Centenary (Feb. 28). Western Illinois will play as the No. 8 seed in the first round of The Summit League Tournament at noon on Saturday, March 5.
