Kansas City’s women’s basketball came up short in their final game of the season, losing to South Dakota State 72-66. The Roos finished the regular season with a 10-11 record.
This game was the second of a back-to-back series matchup between the two teams. South Dakota State came out on top in the first game winning 73-53.
The Roos fought hard this game, trading basket for basket in each quarter with South Dakota State, never letting the lead get out of hand.
The first quarter ended with a score of 20-16, leaning in the favor of South Dakota State. Kansas City went 7-12 from the field, shooting a healthy 58%. South Dakota State shot 41% in the first quarter, but was able to get to the free throw line eight times. They would make seven of those attempts, helping them get the edge on the Roos.
In the second quarter, both teams went three of four from the three-point line, making for some exciting action. South Dakota State went on a 9-0 run, however, pulling away with the first double-digit lead of the game. The second quarter ended with the Jackrabbits up 42-33. After two straight made threes by Mandy Willems, the Roos brought the deficit back to single digits heading into halftime.
Kansas City struggled to get anything going in the third quarter, being outscored 19-12 while only shooting 33% from the field.
In the fourth quarter, the Roos made a strong push to get the game back to single digits, as they outscored the Jackrabbits 21-11. South Dakota State went on a five-minute scoreless drought, and Kansas City used a 7-0 run to push and chop away at the Jackrabbit’s lead.
Ultimately, time ran out and Kansas City was unable to complete the comeback.
Strong performances for the Roos came from Naomie Altanas and Paige Bradford. Altansas led the Roos in scoring with 19 points, and Paige Bradford recorded a double-double, scoring 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Roos will now prepare for the conference tournament being held March 6-9 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
