Shemarri Allen helps KC Roos men’s basketball continue winning ways vs. Denver

The KC Roos men’s basketball team is starting to build some momentum. And the Roos might just be making a run into the top two of the Summit League standings.

It was a lackluster start to 2022-23 for the Roos, who stumbled through a tricky nonconference slate at 4-9, then fell to 7-13 on the season after starting Summit League play 3-4.

Since then? Win ... win ... and, once again on Saturday, win.

The Roos improved to 10-13 overall and 6-4 in conference play (good for third in the Summit League standings) with a 70-60 victory over Denver (12-12, 3-8) inside Swinney Center. While the Roos played much of the first half from behind, senior guard Shemarri Allen was determined to make sure KC would have a fighting chance in the second half.

Allen led the Roos in points (23), rebounds (nine), assists (five) and steals (four) — and highlight plays, if you want to assign a number to that.

In one sequence in the first half, Allen popped to the left corner, where he received a pass from freshman forward Promise C. Idiaru (six points, three assists). He beat his defender off the dribble with a quick first step, took three dribbles down the baseline and threw down a two-handed dunk while being fouled from behind.

The Roos’ second leading scorer — averaging 17.1 points per game entering the day — had no shortage of highlight plays, including a twirling mid-range jumper to put KC up six with right around 3:36 to play. Allen did not commit a turnover in 39 minutes.

In support of the Roos’ star, senior guard RayQuawndis Mitchell added 13 points while sophomore forward Allen David Mukeba Jr. chipped in 10 off the bench, adding four rebounds, three assists and four blocks to round out his stat line.

Next up, the men’s basketball Roos will play host to South Dakota State in a makeup game for a December contest that was initially postponed. That game will be played Monday with tip set for 7 p.m.

A Roos win on Monday would move KC into a tie with Western Illinois (14-8, 7-4) for second in the Summit League standings. The rest of the league is chasing Oral Roberts, which improved to 10-0 in conference play with a nine-point victory over Omaha on Saturday.

Early deficit leads to uphill climb for Roos women’s basketball

On the road at Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver, the KC Roos women’s basketball team failed to capitalize on the momentum of Thursday’s win over Omaha, falling to Denver 69-60.

Kansas City (7-15, 3-8 Summit League) was in a hole early, falling behind 12-2 and then 21-5 as Denver drilled seven three-point shots in the first four minutes of the game. But the Roos fought back, pulling within six by the end of the first quarter and finishing the first half down only one.

Tamia Ugass gave KC its second lead of the game (KC started up 2-0) in the third quarter, scoring off an assist from E’Lease Stafford to make the score 40-39. Ava Murphy added a basket off a Rain Green feed to put the Roos up again at 42-41.

But Denver, which had 67 of its 69 points come from the starting five, including a career-best 21 by freshman guard Madelyn Atkins, proved too much to overcome.

Denver shot 11 for 33 from three, compared to 5-for-17 three-point shooting by the Roos. Stafford finished with 14 points and six rebounds, while Green added 16 points and seven assists. Ugass totaled eight points and four rebounds off the bench.

The Roos will return to action next Saturday, squaring off against Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Oklahoma. That will mark the end of a three-game road slate for KC.