UMKC Uses Second-Half Rally to Defeat Aggies
KANSAS CITY (Jan. 4) – New Mexico State women’s basketball senior Kelsie Rozendaal poured in a career high 15 points and classmate Tabytha Wampler posted her sixth double-double of the season but it was not enough as UMKC defeated the visiting Aggies 68-57 inside the Swinney Recreation Center Wednesday evening.
NM State led Missouri-Kansas City 32-25 at the half, but five minutes into the second half the Kangaroos hopped out to a 23-3 run that saw a 10-point Aggie lead turn into a 10-point UMKC advantage with 8:47 left in the game. The ‘Roos shot 61 percent in the second stanza behind 18 second-half points from senior leading scorer Dayon Hall-Jones to take control of the game.
Wampler scored 15 points and grabbed 12 boards, all defensive, for her 15th career double-double and sixth of the season. Rozendaal hit two three-point shots, tripling her career mark, as part of her 15 points. Senior guard Kaitlyn Soto added 12 for the Aggies.
Aggie head coach Mark Trakh did not make the road trip due to an illness in the family.
NM State dropped to 3-11 on the season while UMKC improved to 10-5.
The Aggies shot 40 percent (20-50) in the game while UMKC shot 46 percent (23-50) from the field including a sizzling 61 percent in the second stanza. The Kangaroos edged the Aggies in the battle of the boards 31-30. UMKC made 33 percent (5-15) from long range and NM State hit 19 percent (3-16).The Aggies committed 17 turnovers in the game while forcing 16 miscues by the ‘Roos.
NM State senior forward Tabytha Wampler scored the first basket of the game before UMKC dropped in a three-point shot. Wampler added another bucket before the Kangaroos went on a 6-0 run to take a 9-4 lead at the first media time out.
Senior forward Kelsie Rozendaal hit her first three-point attempt of the season to close the gap. A bucket by Rozendaal next trip down the court sparked a 9-0 Aggie run to give NM State a 16-12 lead at the second media time out.
Wampler continued her impressive first half by scoring six straight points before dishing out her only helper of the first half in the lane to junior forward Malia Magazzeni to give NM State a 24-21 lead at the 4:27 mark of the first half.
Soto took over on offense in the final four minutes before the break. The senior captain scored two layups and a pair of free throws as the Aggies scored eight straight to build its largest lead of the half of nine before UMKC hit a jumper at the buzzer to make it 32-25 heading into the locker rooms.
Wampler almost totaled a double-double in the first half with a dozen points and nine boards.
The Aggies were aggressive and efficient on offense shooting 48.0 percent (12-25) in the first 20 minutes while holding UMKC to 33 percent (9-27) from the floor. NM State led 17-14 on the boards in the first half. The Aggies were a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe while the ‘Roos went 5-of-6. NM State committed eight turnovers and forced nine Kangaroo miscues in the half. NM State reserves blanked the UMKC bench 14-0 in the first.
NM State built its largest lead of the game early in the second half at 40-30 with 15:24 left behind four more from Soto. But the Aggies could not recover from UMKC’s huge 23-3 run over the 6:30 of the game as the Roos’ led 53-43 at the 8:47 mark.
Senior guard Dayon Hall-Jones led four UMKC players in double figures with 25 points. Joining Hall-Jones was junior forward Kim Nezianya (13), sophomore center Ashli Hill (13) and senior guard Leandra Thomas (10). Senior guard Brianna Eldridge led the ‘Roos in rebounds with six.
NM State returns home to play its final non-conference road contest against Boise State this weekend. The Aggies and Broncos tip at 6:30 p.m. Saturday inside the Pan American Center. The game will be broadcast live on AggieVision with play-by-play from Kyle Doperalski and color commentary from Melanie Viramontes.
Source: NMSU Athletics
