UMKC Blows Lead, Bows Out

In Kansas City, UMKC squandered a 17-point lead and lost to Valparaiso 90-78 in the semifinals of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament in Kansas City. They seemed poised to advance to the tournament title game when they took a 46-29 lead with 2:17 to go in the first half. But the Crusaders went on a 12-3 tear to end the half and cut the Kangaroo’s lead to eight points. Valpo picked up where it left off to start the second half, going on a 10-4 run and eventually took the lead for good midway through the period. Dan Oppland, a St. Louis native had 32 points for Valparaiso, scoring 19 in the second half. Michael Watson, UMKC’s all time leading scorer ended his final game with 28 points. He scored 2,488 in his four years as a Kangaroo. The Kangaroos finished the season at 15-14.