The Kangaroos are set to open play in The Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship this weekend as the no. 7 seed, taking on no. 2-seeded Western Illinois on Saturday at the John Q. Hammons Arena at the UMAC in Tulsa, Okla.  Tipoff for the contest - the first time UMKC and WIU have squared off in the postseason - is set for 2:30 p.m.  Neil Harwell and Doug Elstun will have the call live on Metro Sports in the Kansas City area, with the game also available via SummitTV.

By The Numbers
Although UMKC dropped both regular season contests against Western Illinois, the Kangaroos and Westerwinds match up pretty well on the statlines. UMKC trails by a scant 0.6 percent margin in shooting percentage (39.9 percent to 40.5 percent) on the year, also trailing in three-point and free throw percentage. On the defensive side of the ledger, UMKC holds the edge by the same 0.6 percent margin, keeping its opponents to a 39.8 percent success rate on the campaign. Both teams average over eight swipes per game, with the Kangaroos also holding the edge in blocks (4.4 to 2.4) and assists (15.0 to 14.1) through 29 games on the slate.

About The Westerwinds
The Westerwinds finished the season on a bit of a down note, dropping an overtime contest at Oakland and their season-finale at IUPUI to conclude the slate with a 14-15 overall record and a mark of 12-6 in The Summit League. Gina Hugelier and Katy Davenport were both selected as all-league honorees, with Davenport leading the charge as Newcomer of the Year.

Western Illinois is led offensively by Hugelier’s 11.3 pts/gm, with Davenport contributing 10.3 points per contest and Stephanie Lovingood also averaging double figures with 10.1 pts/gm. Lovingood also leads the Westerwinds off the glass, pulling in 7.6 boards, claiming nearly half (33) of WIU’s 70 team blocks on the year.

Defensively, Hugelier is also solid for the Westerwinds, with 52 steals on the regular season slate. Lovingood has also nabbed 44 swipes.

Last Time Out For The Kangaroos
For the second time in as many games, UMKC was on the wrong end of a hot-shooting opponent, falling 86-67 to IPFW. The Mastodons hit 13 shots in 32 attempts from beyond the arc to spoil the Kangaroos’ senior night.

UMKC missed its first two efforts from the floor to open the game, but kept pace at the free throw line. Alysa Klein and Chazny Morris each made good on two chances from the line to keep the Kangaroos within an 8-6 margin with 16:27 left.

IPFW sparked a 13-2 run, draining three of four attempts from beyond the line. The Mastodons jumped out to a 21-10 lead with 13:23 until the break.

Kalei Nance stopped the run for UMKC, banking in a layup with 12:59 on the clock. Four points each for Klein and Morris were capped with a Lindsay Fields jumper to pull UMKC to within six, trailing 28-22 with 9:41 left.

With just under six minutes to go in the half, IPFW took advantage of a second and third chance opportunity to jump to another 13-2 run, this one spanning just over three minutes. Sarah Haluska collected an offensive rebound, but her putback attempt was blocked by Marta Waalen. The Mastodons were able to recover and find Courtney Reed for an open trey. IPFW led 45-28 with 2:20 left in the half and took a 49-34 lead into the locker room.

The Mastodons hit a trey right out of the intermission, but Sierra Radke was able to answer right back. The Kangaroos kept the margin under 20 for the first four minutes.

As the clock wound under 16 minutes, IPFW struck on six consecutive possessions to spark a 14-4 run. The Mastodons pushed out to a 70-44 lead with 11:56 left in the game.

Fields banked in a layup with 10:53 on the clock, completing the three-point play as she was fouled to stop the run, but UMKC wasn’t able to close the gap to within 20 until there was less than two minutes left.

Morris led the Kangaroos with 22 points on a perfect 8-of-8 night from the free throw line, with Klein adding 21 and Radke chipping in 11. Klein led the Kangaroos off the glass with seven of UMKC’s 32 rebounds.

Jordan Zuppe led all scorers with 27 points for IPFW, with Johnna Lewis-Carlisle adding 15 and Maggie O’Connell contributing 11. Lewis-Carlisle also grabbed seven rebounds, as IPFW pulled down 42 boards on the night.

The Mastodons held a slight edge on the floor, hitting at a 46.2 percent (30-65) rate to UMKC’s 42.4 percent (25-59) clip. Long-range shooting doomed the Kangaroos, as UMKC hit just one of its seven shots from beyond the arc to a 13-of-32 performance from IPFW.

Seventh Heaven?
In the 16 years that The Summit League (neé the Mid-Continent Conference) has sponsored women’s basketball, only one No. 7 seed has won a game in postseason play - these very same Kangaroos, during the first season of Bo Overton’s tenure. Head coach Candace White-Whitaker was on the sidelines as an assistant at the time, with Alysa Klein, Lindsay Fields and Marta Waalen all freshmen on the squad. This year marks the third time that UMKC has entered the tournament as the no. 7 seed and just the first time that the Kangaroos have faced the Westerwinds in the postseason.

Three-Point Play
Monday’s regular-season finale was emblematic of UMKC’s struggles from the three-point line this season. The Kangaroos have mustered just a 28.9 percent (146-506) clip from distance on the year despite holding an edge in total treys for the majority of the season.

Last season, UMKC had a 138-game three-point makes streak snapped in the penultimate game of the regular season en route to a 29.8 percent (142-477) mark entering the tournament. Both squads sit well afield of the mark set by the 2005-06 squad, who rained in 167 treys in 529 attempts for a 31.6 percent mark.

Ironically, success from distance has not been a significant factor on a game-by-game basis for the Kangaroos, as UMKC hits at a 29.0 percent clip in losses this season and just a 28.6 percent rate in victories. The Kangaroos have also won six of the 18 games in which they were outshot from distance and lost seven of the 11 games that saw them finish with a better rate.

A Case Of The Mondays
UMKC is not a fan of the first day of the work week, as the Kangaroos notched just two wins in nine chances on Mondays. A visit to Centenary was just the cure that UMKC needed, as the Kangaroos picked up their second week-opening win on the campaign. In both wins, UMKC finished the night with 80 points - grinding out an 80-68 win over Texas State in non-conference action earlier this season before downing Centenary 80-72.

Home (Not So) Sweet Home
Kansas City was a welcome home for UMKC during 2007, as the Kangaroos held a perfect 4-0 record at home through December. 2008 has not been so kind, however, as UMKC has only been able to pick up three wins in Kansas City during the new year.

The Kangaroos opened with a win over Newman University before suffering reversals to Western Illinois and IUPUI. UMKC was able to right the ship slightly, winning back-to-back home contests against Southern Utah and Centenary before dropping a tough last-second loss to Oral Roberts and suffering home defeats to South Dakota State and North Dakota State.

The Kangaroos’ record as the visitor is a mirror image, with only three wins to UMKC’s credit to go against 11 losses. UMKC is also 0-1 in neutral site contests on the year, although UMKC was listed as the away team against South Alabama at the USF/odwalla Classic.

UMKC hits at a 41.5 percent (353-850) clip in home contests, dipping to a 38.2 percent (325-850) mark on the road. Alysa Klein bucks the trend, however, improving to nearly 53 percent (52.3 / 90-172) away from Kansas City and hitting shy of 50 percent (46.4 / 89-192) at home.

Smile For The Camera
During the 2007-08 season, the Kangaroos racked up a nearly perfect 3-1 appearances on Metro Sports. In two of UMKC’s four television outings, the Kangaroos crested the 80-point plateau and were on pace to do it against Centenary. It has also held its opponents below 50 points twice on the tube, posting a 48-point defensive outing against Southern Utah and limiting Centenary to 46 points.

UMKC is not quite as fond when the game is on an opponent’s television slate, falling in both appearances this season.

Reaching For The Summit Of The Summit
After leading the league in blocks last season, UMKC has fallen off the pace slightly but is still second-best in the league with a 4.45 blk/gm average. Newcomer North Dakota State has done quite well, swatting 160 on the campaign. IUPUI has closed up the margin, but still trails by nine overall blocks with one extra game on the books for the Jaguars this season.

The Kangaroos had held the distinction of being the stingiest shooting defense squad on the year, but have slipped slightly. Despite IPFW having a solid night on Monday, UMKC is still the second-best squad in the league in defending the three, allowing its opponents to hit at just a 30.7 percent clip on the year - trailing South Dakota State’s 29.9 percent rate.

On the individual ledger, Chazny Morris, Alysa Klein and Sierra Radke all reside in the top 10 in several categories for UMKC. Morris has the second-best scoring average in The Summit League at 17.8 pts/gm, also ranking in free throw percentage (#2 - 82.7 percent), rebounding (#11 - 5.8/gm), steals (#11 - 1.81/gm) and three pointers made (#4 - 1.96/gm). Klein ranks third in blocks (2.38), fifth in scoring (14.7 pts/gm) and sixth in field goal percentage (49.2 percent), also holding down eighth on the rebounding charts at 7.1 per game. Radke is third in assists, with 4.93 per contest.

Considering only play in The Summit League, Morris and Klein sit second and fourth in the scoring ranks, with 17.3 and 15.8 points per contest respectively, while Radke moves up to second on the assists chart.

Looking at single-game superlatives, UMKC holds six league-best marks. Klein is one of two players to have a perfect 10-for-10 night from the floor, joining Brittany Carnago of Oakland. Morris holds two of the top four three-point attempt numbers on the campaign (16 vs. Colorado State, 11 at IPFW) with freshman Sarah Stewart’s 11-attempt outing at Kansas rounding out the list. Radke’s 12-assist night against North Dakota State equaled the bar set by the Bison’s Amanda Girodat, while Klein has one of four seven-block games in The Summit League this season.

Best In The Association
In games through March 2, Alysa Klein finds herself back in the top 50 in the NCAA in blocks, having turned away 2.3 per game, good for 25th in the nation. Her 10-of-10 shooting performance against Southern Utah is also a rarity, one of just six perfect games with 10 or more makes this season. Crystal Kelly of Western Kentucky is the top of that elite group, having made all 11 shots in a game against Missouri State on December 29, 2007.

Chazny Morris is also among the top 50 in scoring, with her 17.7 pts/gm output good for 44th in the nation.

Sierra Radke hangs on to her position in the top-50 assist leaders on the year, with her average of 4.9 helpers per game good for 41st in the rankings.

As a team, UMKC sits 45th on the blocks chart, turning away an average of 4.4 blocks per contest on the year.

Block Party
With four rejections at Centenary, Alysa Klein hit the double century mark in blocked shots, becoming the first player in UMKC women’s basketball history to turn away 200 blocks in a career. She currently sits in fifth place in The Summit League career lists, with her blocks per game average of 1.75 good for seventh-best in league history. Fourth place on the league lists is within reach, as Klein needs just three blocks to tie Sarah Judd of Oakland.

1. Alysa Klein 205 b 116 g 1.8
2. Lauren Powers 144 b 103 g 1.4
3. Joy Ommen 75 b 21 g 3.6
4. LaRonna Lassiter 63 b 103 g 0.6
5. Georgia Bivens 61 b 53 g 1.2

Winning Unselfishly
UMKC has finished with fewer than 10 assists in just three games this season - at Kansas, against South Dakota State and at Oral Roberts. Overall, the Kangaroos hold a 419-389 edge in assists on the season and winning 10 of the 13 games that have seen the Kangaroos finish with more assists than its foe.

The Kangaroos have averaged 19.2 assists per win on the 2007-08 slate, while UMKC has dished just 12.7 helpers per loss.

Helping Out Your Friends
After recording the first 10(or better)-assist game by a Kangaroo since the 2005-06 season, Sierra Radke has continued her helpful ways on the season. The Lyons, Kan., native dished 11 assists against Saint Louis to set a career high before raising the bar against North Dakota State with 12 helpers. Radke shares the honor of best single-game outing in The Summit League with Amanda Girodat, but both players fall short of the cutoff for best marks among all NCAA squads, as the floor is set at 14, with a five-player logjam at that mark.

Radke has handed out four assists or more in 18 of her 23 starts this season, and with 143 on the year has the best single-season mark in UMKC’s Divison I history. She will likely finish with the third-best mark all-time, as she needs 34 assists to catch Meredith Wilcox’s second-best single-season tally of 177.

Klein With 1,000
Alysa Klein became the eighth UMKC women’s basketball player to score 1,000 points in her career at South Dakota State, dropping in a layup with 8:16 left in the first half to crest the plateau at 1,001. Klein cruised past both Darci Haas and Julie Nill on Monday night, and will likely finish as the fifth highest scorer all-time for UMKC. Among Division I players, Klein is just the fourth 1,000-point scorer in UMKC history and is second behind just Katie Houlehan.

1. Penny Waggener 123 g 1475 pts 12.0
2. Katie Houlehan 115 g 1445 pts 12.6
3. Laurie Smith 123 g 1282 pts 10.4
4. Stephanie Worthy 67 g 1268 pts 18.9
5. Alysa Klein 116 g 1173 pts 10.1
6. Julie Nill 85 g 1166 pts 13.7
7. Darci Haas 106 g 1146 pts 10.8

All For The Best
Sierra Radke has gone the distance in five games for UMKC this season. She played all 40 minutes against Saint Louis, following it up with back-to-back full games - 45 minutes at Missouri and 40 at Northern Colorado. She also played the full 40 against IUPUI and against South Dakota State. She set new career bests in all but two categories against Saint Louis, following that up with new career-best shooting, scoring and rebounding marks at Missouri.

She fell just shy of going the distance against North Dakota State, fouling out with 20.5 seconds left in the contest, but she set a new career best in that game as well with 12 assists.

Reaching The Century Mark
On Monday night, Alysa Klein became the all-time appearances leader in the Division I era for UMKC, notching her 116th game in UMKC Blue and Gold. Against Oakland, Klein tied former teammate Katie Houlehan, after recording her 100th career game against Newman University earlier this season. Four players from UMKC’s NAIA tenure have each recorded 120 games or more, with Laurie Smith and Penny Waggener recording an amazing 123 games over a four-year span.

Marta Waalen will also finish her career with better than 100 appearances for UMKC. She recorded her 100th appearance at Southern Utah earlier this year and should finish with a minimum of 108 games.

Seeing Double
Alysa Klein and Chazny Morris are each averaging in double figures for UMKC this season, with Klein banking 14.7 points per game and Morris a team-best 17.8 per contest. Klein has scored 10 points or better in 23 of her 29 appearances this season and recorded three consecutive 20-point outings against IUPUI, Southern Utah and North Dakota State. Morris has missed the 10-point plateau just twice in her 25 appearances on the campaign, as she was held to just seven points at Oakland, and has recorded 10 games with 20 or more points.

Seeing Double-double
Alysa Klein recorded her second double-double of the season at Centenary, grabbing a season-best 15 rebounds and scoring 18 points. She found her way into the double-double column earlier this season - also against Centenary - scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to record the third double-double of the season for UMKC and her first this season. She found herself just shy of a triple-double on the afternoon, turning away seven blocks in the game as well.

Double-doubles have been tantalizingly close in several contests for the Kangaroos this season, so it wasn’t surprising that UMKC’s first game to see a double-double saw two. Sierra Radke (14 pts, 11 a) and Kalei Nance (10 pts, 10 reb.) both hit the milestone for UMKC, although Nance gets credit for the first. Nance pulled in her 10th board with 2:31 left in the game, while Radke’s 10th assist came at the 1:32 mark.

Season Double-doubles
Kalei Nance (10 pts, 10 reb) - vs. Saint Louis, 11/29/07
Sierra Radke (14 pts, 11 a) - vs. Saint Louis, 11/29/07
Alysa Klein (19 pts, 14 r) - vs. Centenary, 1/26/08
Alysa Klein (18 pts, 15 r) - at Centenary, 2/25/08

Near-near Misses-misses
UMKC has seen more than its fair share of near misses in the double-double category, with Alysa Klein leading the category with 11. Klein has recorded double-digit marks in either scoring or rebounding in all but three games this season, but has mustered just one game with 10 or more points AND rebounds. In one of the contests, she finished just shy of a triple-double on the night, scoring 20 points, grabbing eight rebounds and turning away seven blocks against South Alabama.

Chazny Morris has four near misses (24 p, 8 r at Cent. Ark.; 11 p, 9 r vs. Air Force; 30 p, 8 r vs. Texas State; 21 p, 9 r vs. Oral Roberts) with Radke and Marta Waalen each with one. Brittny Picconi joined the crowd at Oral Roberts, grabbing a career-best eight rebounds to go with 14 points on the night.

Dime Time... Again... And Again... And Again...
UMKC posted a 20-assist night for the fourth time this season against Southern Utah with a season-best 28 helpers on the night. The mark was just four assists shy of the all-time best mark for the Kangaroos, a 32-assist effort against Emporia State on January 12, 1989. UMKC dished for 25 assists on 34 makes against Newman, 20 assists on 23 makes against Northern Colorado and 21 assists on 25 makes against Saint Louis.

Block Party Too...
Against Centenary, UMKC set new single-game school records, recording eight blocks in the first half and 12 for the game. The previous best single-half mark was six, recorded twice previously (vs. UW-Milwaukee, Feb. 17, 1990; vs. Austin Peay, Dec. 6, 2002) with all three marks being recorded in the first half. Amazingly, the game against Austin Peay saw the Kangaroos fall by a 70-62 margin. The previous best single-game mark also came in 1990, as UMKC rejected 11 shots against Oklahoma State en route to a 71-60 overtime win.

Against Oral Roberts, Alysa Klein matched a school high with six blocks in the first half. The last time a UMKC player turned away six blocks on the night cane in the 1990 season, when Bernice Dorsey swatted six against UW-Milwaukee on Feb. 17, 1990.

Rushing Out
Taushelle Rushing will miss the remainder of the 2007-08 season after being declared academically ineligible.

Injury Bug Bites
In addition to Taushelle Rushing, three Kangaroos have spent the last few contests in street clothes. Heather Wimberly will miss the remainder of the season after deciding to undergo surgery for a torn ACL. The redshirt junior injured the knee earlier this season but was able to return and contribute valuable minutes. Myleka Emerson and Tarah Cullen have also been sidelined with injuries.

On The Glass
In addition to holding the career and single-season block records for UMKC, Alysa Klein has also posted the most career rebounds of any Division I player for UMKC.

1. Laurie Smith 864 r 123 g 7.0
2. Alysa Klein 711 r 116 g 6.1
3. Stephanie Worthy 696 r 67 g 10.4
4. Darci Haas 654 r 106 g 6.2
5. Lauren Powers 600 r 103 g 5.9

Reining In The Charitable Giving
For the first time all season, free throws played absolutely no role in the outcome of last Saturday’s contest, as both squads hit at identical 11-of-15 clips from the charity stripe.

UMKC has been very generous on the charity stripe this year, allowing its opponents 587 free throw opportunities on the year. In their 19 losses on the year, UMKC has attempted fewer free throws - 277 - than its opponents have made - 293 - and have given up 21.4 free throw opportunites per loss. In its 10 wins, however, UMKC has the upper hand in attempts although the gap is much narrower at 205 to 180.

Despite the Ladies rattling home 20-of-21 from the charity stripe, UMKC pulled away with a win at Centenary - the seventh in 10 contests that have seen the Kangaroos take more trips to the line than their opponent.

50 Ain’t Nifty
In their home contest against Centenary, the Kangaroos picked up their first win of the season in a contest that saw them score 59 points or fewer. UMKC isn’t so much a fan of the 50’s, having dropped 12 of the 13 contests where they ended the evening with fewer than 59 points. It has been slightly more kind on the defensive end, as UMKC has won five of the eight contests that have seen its opponents score 59 or less.

That 70’s Show
The Kangaroos have picked up wins in seven of the 10 contests that have seen UMKC crest the 70-point plateau. Prior to the loss against North Dakota State, UMKC had won both of its forays above the 80-point mark, scoring 80 in a win over Southern Utah and 81 against Newman University. The Kangaroos also dropped 80 on Centenary to go to 3-1 with 80 or better points.

Against Missouri, UMKC dropped a result in which they scored 70 points or more for the first time this season, finishing on 73 points for the third time this year. The Kangaroos downed Central Arkansas by a 73-63 count and bested Saint Louis by a 73-70 margin.

On the flip side, UMKC has lost seven of the nine contests that have seen its opponents score 70 points or more. The aforementioned win over Saint Louis marks the only time UMKC had allowed 70 points in a win before Monday’s victory at Centenary. Oakland became just the second team to hit the 80-point plateau against UMKC, joining North Dakota State.

Making It Count
With her 27-point explosion against South Alabama, Alysa Klein moved into her third top-10 list at UMKC - career field-goal makes. She continues to climb the charts, passing Katie Houlehan last Monday night to become UMKC’s Division I leader, currently sitting in fourth overall with 496 buckets. Her current pace projects to a mark of at least 507 makes, good for third best all-time.

1. Penny Waggener 123 g 613 fg 5.0
2. Stephanie Worthy 67 g 540 fg 8.0
3. Julie Nill 85 g 497 fg 5.8
4. Alysa Klein 115 g 496 fg 4.3
5. Katie Houlehan 115 g 490 fg 4.3
6. Laurie Smith 123 g 474 fg 3.9
7. Darci Haas 106 g 418 fg 3.9

Inside Out?
Although she is a key inside threat for the Kangaroos, senior Alysa Klein is also unafraid to shoot the three ball when the opportunity presents itself. Klein is 3-11 from outside the arc in her career after swishing a pair of treys this season. She hit against South Alabama and at IPFW but her effort against Western Illinois was just slightly off the mark. The Okoboji, Iowa, native also drained her lone effort from distance during the 2006-07 season, hitting at Oakland on January 6. At North Dakota State, Marta Waalen threw her name into the hat, hitting one of two three-point efforts on the afternoon. Waalen added her second trey of the season at South Dakota State, banking a third at Centenary on Monday

Morris From Three
Chazny Morris set a freshman record last season, nailing 37 of 84 attempts from three-point range, a 44.0 percent mark, also good for the third-best all-time single-season mark, just three tenths of a percent behind Veda McNeal.

Morris has struggled from distance this season, slipping from the top five, but has increased her scoring average despite a falling shooting clip.

Seward County Connections
With her success as a player at Seward County (Kan.) Community College, it is only reasonable that head coach Candace White-Whitaker would look close to home on the recruiting trail. Senior Sierra Radke and junior Taushelle Rushing both come to the Kangaroos following successful careers with the Lady Saints.

Youth Is Served
Currently the youngest head coach at the Division I level, Candace White-Whitaker is also one of the youngest head coaches in recent women’s basketball history. At the time of her appointment as the interim head coach last year, White-Whitaker was just 26 years, 239 days old.

She comes from a strong background of young coaches, as her mentor at Valparaiso, Keith Freeman, made his entry into the profession at the tender age of 19. Freeman helmed the women’s basketball team at Huntington (Ind.) College during the 1983-84 season.

Although impressive, White-Whitaker isn’t even the youngest head coach at her own institution. Prior to this year, that honor belonged to Meredith Smith, head softball coach, who was a mere 25 years, 166 days old at the time of her appointment. Women’s golf coach Courtney Mahon snagged the honor on January 2, 2008, at 24 years and 185 days.

UMKC has a history of taking a chance on young coaches, as no fewer than nine coaches have been appointed before their 30th birthday. Angela Garbe was the youngest, taking the reins of the women’s tennis team in September 1991 at the age of 22 years, 264 days.

Glamourous 30’s
Holding Newman to 32 points was an amazing achievement for UMKC, marking the first time since the 2004-05 season that a Kangaroo opponent was held below 40 points and the 18th time during the Kangaroos tenure in Division I. The mark was the third-lowest in the Division I era and sixth best all-time. The most recent result came as UMKC downed IUPUI 76-36 on February 12, 2005.

The 49-point win also marked the fourth-best margin of victory in the Division I era. In each of the three big wins, UMKC victimized Chicago State (109-52 - Feb. 20, 1988; 100-48 - Feb. 20, 1995; 93-43 - Jan. 2, 1999) on three occasions. Chicago State also provided the most feeble offensive output by an opponent in the Division I era in a 56-25 loss on Jan. 6, 2000.

Going back to the NAIA era, the defensive showing is the sixth-lowest score for an opponent, but only the 18th-best margin of victory. In-town foe Park put up remarkably little opposition in a 101-19 win for UMKC on Dec. 11, 1981.

Going The (Extra) Distance...
In recent history, UMKC has enjoyed considerable success in overtime contests, picking up wins in the extra frame on two consecutive season-ending trips to Western Illinois, adding an overtime win against IUPUI in on the 2006-07 campaign. The most likely opponents are the aforementioned Westerwinds and Oral Roberts, with UMKC holding a 3-0 record over Western Illinois and a 1-3 record against the Golden Eagles. UMKC is 9-14 all time in overtime.

Starting Fast
In her first full season at the helm for UMKC, head coach Candace White-Whitaker jumped in with both feet, as her squad opened the regular season with four games over a span of eight days. The Kangaroos opened the 2007-08 campaign with a road contest at Central Arkansas on November 9 before returning home to face the Lady Falcons of Air Force on Sunday. After a mid-week jaunt to Lawrence to take on Kansas, UMKC wrapped up the busy stretch with a home game against Northern Colorado on November 17.

The last time UMKC was not scheduled to play a game during the holiday break was on the 2004-05 campaign, Bo Overton’s first season in charge. The Kangaroos finished that season with a Championship run, becoming the first UMKC squad to play for a conference title in basketball.

Back To Back AAaack...
The first weekend of league play was a bit harsh, as the Kangaroos set season lows in back-to-back contests for the first time this season. UMKC hit a season-low 51 points at IPFW before landing at a new low of 50 at Oakland on Monday. The Kangaroos also set new low marks in free throws and attempts in both contests (8-9 followed by 3-8) and tied a season low in steals at seven in both games.

The road bug struck again as UMKC recorded back-to-back low offensive outputs, first hitting just 47 at IUPUI before mustering 46 at Western Illinois.

Summer Camp Dates Set
The UMKC women’s basketball team has set the first series of dates for its 2008 summer camp schedule. The Kangaroos will host a three-day camp for individuals from June 9-11, 2008. The Lil’ Joey and Kangaroo camps are designed for players in grades 1-5 and 6-8 respectively, and run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Elite camp, structured for high-school age players, runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

From June 12-14, the Kangaroos will host a team camp, open to teams at all levels. Contact associate head coach Brett Schneider at 816-235-1033 or via e-mail at schneiderbr@umkc.edu for more information or to register.

Texas Home Cooking
In addition to his local ties - he served as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri from 1998 to 2000 - associate head coach Brett Schneider claims the same hometown as head coach Candace White-Whitaker. A strong recruiter, Schneider has a strong family background in basketball, as his father Bob claimed over 1,000 victories over a 43-year career. His brother, Brandon, currently serves as head women’s basketball coach for Emporia State University, while his sister, Brooke, was a letterwinner at West Texas A&M.

Kangaroos Add Two During Early Signing Period
UMKC head coach Candace White-Whitaker announced two additions to the Kangaroo roster for the 2008-09 season during the early signing period. Heather Davis and Mariah Davis (no relation) will both continue their playing careers and education at UMKC.

Heather Davis, a 5-7 guard from Muskogee, Okla., earned preseason second-team all-state honors from Oklahoma Tipoff magazine this year, following up on a second-team all-conference season as a junior.

Mariah Davis, a 6-0 forward from Hercules, Calif., averaged a double-double (13.5 pts, 10.4 reb) last season for Hercules High School, adding 94 blocks, 31 assists and 29 steals to pace her team to a second-place finish in the North Coast Section Division III tournament. Davis was tabbed as a first team all-league selection as well as earning all-tournament team honors at the River City Classic.

Kangaroos On The Web
New for the 2007-08 season, fans can now watch all of the action of UMKC women’s basketball via Summit TV. All of UMKC’s non-conference home games as well as every game of the inaugural season in The Summit League will stream live through the World Wide Web as part of the Summit TV package. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.thesummitleague.org and click on the “Summit TV” icon. A full-season package is just $49.95, with individual game purchases also available. As part of the full-season package, fans will also have access to “On-Demand” games, allowing fans to watch any game from the 2007-08 season. Listen to T.J. Jackson - the voice of the Kangaroos - as he brings you all of the action from courtside.

Championship Tournament Presenting Sponsor Announced
The J.D. Young Company was announced as the presenting sponsor of The Summit League Basketball Championship for 2008. The tournament, hosted by the Tulsa Sports Commission, is in its final year at the John Q. Hammons Arena at the UMAC. Quarterfinal action begins March 8, with the women’s championship game to be broadcast on ESPNU at 2 p.m. on March 11.

Reaching For New Heights
The 2007-08 season marks the first for The Summit League, formerly known as the Mid-Continent Conference. The name change is part of a larger initiative, called The Summit Plan, launched by the league’s President’s Council in June 2007. The initiative looks to improve the overall athletic image of the conference and bring a more intense focus to the overall welfare of the student-athletes at the member institutions.

In addition to the name change, the league welcomes three new schools to the mix for the 2007-08 season. IPFW, North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University join the conference to push its ranks to 10. Valparaiso, a founding member of the conference, departed for the Horizon League at the conclusion of the 2006-07 academic year.