by OMAHA, Neb. — Kansas City Women’s Basketball (8-14, 4-3) once again showed its tenacity, this time against Omaha (9-11, 1-6), making a 14-point comeback to defeat the Mavericks, 66-65. The Roos were led by the hot hand of Alayna Contreras who knocked down a career-high 32 points on 13-of-25 shooting from the field (52%). Contreras went 4-of-7 beyond the arc (57.1%) and added four assists, four steals and a block. Kansas City improves to 2-0 when Tamia Ugass earns a double-double; she brought down 12 boards and earned 12 points.
The Roos struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, opening the first two quarters on four-minute scoring droughts. The Mavericks held KC to eight points in the second frame to put them up by eight at the half, 34-26. Omaha secured its largest lead, 46-32, with 5:34 remaining in the third quarter. A pesky Kansas City defense forced a season-high tying 25 turnovers from Omaha and sparked 26 points for the KC offense. Strong defense helped the Roos chip away at the score allowing them to tie the game at 54 with 5:39 remaining. A handful of clutch baskets put the Roos up by two and a pair of free throw makes from Ugass and Lisa Thomas allowed KC to go up by four, ultimately securing the win.
Contreras and Emani Bennett combined for Kansas City’s best three-point shooting performance of the season. The pair earned a season-high seven threes and helped KC to its best three-point percentage of the year at 41.2%. The Roos have now defeated three Summit League opponents after trailing at halftime. Today’s win marks the most single-season conference victories in the Jackson-Durrett era, with four.
