UMKC 69, Missouri 61: Martez Harrison fought through an ankle injury and tallied 26 points as the visiting Kangaroos upset the host Tigers to spoil Kim Anderson’s coaching debut.
Shayok Shayok posted 10 points and was one of three UMKC players to grab at least seven rebounds for the Kangaroos (1-0), who defeated Missouri for the first time in four tries. UMKC went 23-of-29 from the foul line and forced 17 turnovers to register its first win over a power conference school since 2003 (Kansas State).
Freshman Montaque Gill-Caesar scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half and recorded seven rebounds for the Tigers (0-1), who had won eight straight season openers and defeated the Kangaroos by at least 18 points in each of their previous three meetings. Wes Clark added 13 points in addition to his career-high six steals and was the only other Missouri player to reach double figures.
Thaddeus Smith converted a pair of layups near the end of a 16-4 surge as UMKC broke an early tie while Collin Jennings and Harrison drained 3-pointers near the end of the first half after Missouri closed to within four. The Kangaroos carried a 33-24 advantage into the break and did not allow their lead to dip below eight until Gill-Caesar and Clark converted consecutive baskets to make it 39-33 with just over 16 minutes left.
Harrison responded with five straight points, but a pair of jumpers from Gill-Caesar sparked a surge that saw Missouri trim its deficit to three on two occasions in the second half. The Tigers closed the gap to 57-53 with just under five minutes to go on a dunk by Gill-Caesar, but Harrison answered with a layup on the other end and knocked down six free throws in the final minute to preserve the victory.
GAME NOTEBOOK: UMKC secured only its seventh victory over a BCS school in its 26-year history at the Division I level… The Kangaroos won their first season opener since 2010. … Missouri sophomore F Johnathan Williams III, who was the Tigers’ top returning scorer, tallied six points, five rebounds and four blocks before fouling out with 3:49 remaining.
UMKC | Missouri | |
Martez Harrison 26 | Scoring | Montaque Gill-Caesar 21 |
Martez Harrison 3 | Assists | Wes Clark 5 |
Broderick Newbill 8 | Rebounds | Montaque Gill-Caesar 7 |
Martez Harrison 15 | Free Throws Made | Wes Clark 4 |
Martez Harrison 3 | Steals | Wes Clark 6 |
Shayok Shayok 1 | Blocks | Johnathan Williams III 4 |