by BROOKINGS, S.D. – A strong second half effort was not enough to overcome a slow start for Kansas City Women’s Basketball (4-9, 0-2 Summit), falling to Summit League preseason favorite South Dakota State (9-5, 2-0 Summit), 86-54. Sanaa’ St. Andre and E’Lease Stafford scored 19 points each to lead the way for Kansas City, accounting for nearly three-quarters of the team’s scoring.
The Jackrabbits jumped out to a 19-point lead before the Roos got on the scoreboard, never looking back. A bucket early in the second quarter gave SDSU a 30-point lead, and the Roos would not get any closer for the rest of the game, despite outscoring the Jackrabbits by 10 in the second half.
KEY MOMENTS
- 1Q – 4:16 / 2-19 | South Dakota State got out to a hot start, holding the Roos without a bucket on their first 11 attempts from the field. Rain Green got a steal and then St. Andre found Jocelyn Ewell down low to give the Roos their first points of the day.
- 2Q – 9:12 / 9-33 | St. Andre hit a layup and a three-pointer on KC’s first two possessions of the second quarter, giving her seven of the Roos’ first nine points. A scoreless drought over the next six-plus minutes would allow SDSU to open the lead even further going into the half.
- 3Q – 2:08 / 31-68 | A jumper by St. Andre capped a 13-4 Kansas City run that spanned three minutes across the third quarter. Amidst the run, Stafford scored five points, St. Andre scored four, Ewell scored two and Manna Mensah scored two.
- 4Q – 6:54 / 44-76 | Machia Mullens dished to an open Stafford for her second three-pointer of the fourth quarter, finishing off an 11-2 run that saw Stafford score eight points.
