The Kansas City Roos women’s basketball team stampeded the North Dakota State Bison in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament. The final score was 68-58.
From tip off the Roos controlled both sides of the ball in a dominating fashion taking a 16-4 lead with just under five minutes in the first quarter.
Sophomore guard Elauni Bennett impacted the game through rebounding and scoring efficiently with four fast points and four rebounds. She wrapped things up with a double-double, 20 points and 13 rebounds securing a new season high in scoring.
“Just having that support from coaches and teammates always keeps me going,” Bennett said.
Meanwhile, junior guard Alayna Contreras drew defenders’ attention, assisting teammates for easy buckets.
After the game, Contreras was asked about how playing with stars like Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers raised her confidence.
“Playing with big people in big games shows you how to feel and act in certain situations,” she said.
Contreras led all scorers with five points shooting 2-2 from the field as Kansas City led 27-15 after one quarter.
Midway through the second quarter the Roos continued trampling over the Bison.
Despite altering shots on defense and knocking down open ones on offense, senior forward Kelly Bannerman got into foul trouble, giving senior forward Tamia Ugass great minutes off the bench.
Ugass scored a quick seven points for the Roos as she entered the game.
“I love tournament Tamia,” said head coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett. “She had been missing for a little bit, but I’m just glad she showed up today. We needed the points, confidence and communication from her.”
With stellar defense from Kansas City, the Roos held North Dakota State to just three points the entire second quarter going into halftime with a 39-18 lead.
Up 21 against the Bison, the Roos controlled the majority of the tempo in the third quarter despite North Dakota State’s efforts going into zone; the Roos defense was just too much.
As the fourth quarter continued to count down, North Dakota State went into desperation mode.
Bison players Avery Koenen and Marisa Frost tried their best to help NDSU overcome the deficit, with 10 points each as they cut the lead to 11 points with just under three minutes to play.
In a total group effort, the Roos defeated the Bison. Next, the women will play the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 8.
Games can be listened to for free on the Roo TV YouTube channel or streamed on the Summit League Network.
Tickets for the tournament games can be found at this link.
