Spring Break
Roos swamped in Gator land
David Cordill
Issue date: 12/1/08 Section: Sports
The UMKC men's basketball team ended their stay in the Sunshine State on a dull note, losing to the Florida Gators 86-65 in Orlando, Fla. Sunday afternoon.
Florida sophomore Alex Tyus scored 25 points and the Gators burned the Roos for 52 points in the paint, running their record to 5-1 on the season.
Senior forward Dane Brumagin had 16 points (14 in the first half) for UMKC in the loss, while freshman forward Latreze Mushatt contributed 12 points and eight rebounds.
Early on, UMKC looked to upset, or at least give the 18th-ranked Gators a run for their money.
The 3-5 Kangaroos were playing the Gators close through much of the first half.
They held a couple of brief leads, and, after Brumagin's layup with 4:50 left in the period, led 32-29.
But the Gators went on an 18-0 run over the next six-and-a-half minutes - a spurt which began just before the intermission and carried over several minutes into the second half.
In a post-game interview with WHB 810 Sports, UMKC Head Coach Matt Brown said the loss had less to do with the pressure of playing at the home of the esteemed Gators, and more to do with his team's errors in execution, like "errant passes."
He did, however, like the fight in his men.
"In terms of effort, I thought it was there again," Brown said about his young UMKC squad. "I already thought we were a competitive team. I don't think they're afraid to compete with anybody at the highest level … It wasn't like we just played a bad basketball team. I think in terms of our effort, that's what I wanted to see."
Freshman guard Dustin Dibble's three-pointer, with 17:58 left in the game, ended UMKC's scoring drought, making the score 47-35.
But the Gators were able to shoot 62.2 percent from the field in the second half, compared to 34.2 percent by the Kangaroos.
With 4:48 left, Florida was running away with the game, leading by 24 points, 77-53.
The Gators had a strong performance from their bench, getting 38 points off the pines. They were also able to convert UMKC turnovers into points, scoring 31 points off of Kangaroo giveaways.
UMKC was out done by a two-to-one margin on fast break points, as Florida scored 20 points to the Roos' 10 in quick trips down the hardwood.
After a grueling seven-game road trip, including games against Kansas at Allen Field House and four other matchups in the state of Florida, Brown said he and his team were looking forward to coming home.
"I know these kids are excited to go back to Kansas City, like myself, and get back home and finally play at home a little bit and get to sleep in our own beds," Brown said.
dcordill@unews.com
Florida sophomore Alex Tyus scored 25 points and the Gators burned the Roos for 52 points in the paint, running their record to 5-1 on the season.
Senior forward Dane Brumagin had 16 points (14 in the first half) for UMKC in the loss, while freshman forward Latreze Mushatt contributed 12 points and eight rebounds.
Early on, UMKC looked to upset, or at least give the 18th-ranked Gators a run for their money.
The 3-5 Kangaroos were playing the Gators close through much of the first half.
They held a couple of brief leads, and, after Brumagin's layup with 4:50 left in the period, led 32-29.
But the Gators went on an 18-0 run over the next six-and-a-half minutes - a spurt which began just before the intermission and carried over several minutes into the second half.
In a post-game interview with WHB 810 Sports, UMKC Head Coach Matt Brown said the loss had less to do with the pressure of playing at the home of the esteemed Gators, and more to do with his team's errors in execution, like "errant passes."
He did, however, like the fight in his men.
"In terms of effort, I thought it was there again," Brown said about his young UMKC squad. "I already thought we were a competitive team. I don't think they're afraid to compete with anybody at the highest level … It wasn't like we just played a bad basketball team. I think in terms of our effort, that's what I wanted to see."
Freshman guard Dustin Dibble's three-pointer, with 17:58 left in the game, ended UMKC's scoring drought, making the score 47-35.
But the Gators were able to shoot 62.2 percent from the field in the second half, compared to 34.2 percent by the Kangaroos.
With 4:48 left, Florida was running away with the game, leading by 24 points, 77-53.
The Gators had a strong performance from their bench, getting 38 points off the pines. They were also able to convert UMKC turnovers into points, scoring 31 points off of Kangaroo giveaways.
UMKC was out done by a two-to-one margin on fast break points, as Florida scored 20 points to the Roos' 10 in quick trips down the hardwood.
After a grueling seven-game road trip, including games against Kansas at Allen Field House and four other matchups in the state of Florida, Brown said he and his team were looking forward to coming home.
"I know these kids are excited to go back to Kansas City, like myself, and get back home and finally play at home a little bit and get to sleep in our own beds," Brown said.
dcordill@unews.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Tom Davis
posted 12/01/08 @ 1:12 PM CST
david, just wanted to correct a slight misstatement in your article. While the game was in Florida, it wasn't at the home of the gators. The game was played in Orlando; the Gators home games are played in Gainesville. (Continued…)
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