KANSAS CITY, MO. | Three Alabama A&M University women's basketball players reached double figures in scoring, but it wasn't enough as a late run by Kansas City lifted the Roos to a 57-52 victory on Thursday at the Swinney Center.
 
Alabama A&M opened the final quarter with a 45-37, but were outscored, 20-7, as the Roos stormed back to earn the win. The Bulldogs went the final 8:04 without a field goal and went scoreless over the final five minutes as Kansas City used a 13-0 run to end the game.
 
Amiah Simmons paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 13 points, going 5-of-13 from the floor, with one rebound. Darian Burgin registered 12 points, three assists, two steals, and one board. Victoria Dixon chipped in 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Defensively, Alisha Wilson pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Nariyah Simmons led Kansas City with a team-high 11 points, with two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Dominque Phillips added nine points, two rebounds and two assists.
 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Kansas City jumped out to an 10-4 advantage after a Simmons bucket just seven minutes into the opening quarter.

However, Alabama A&M cut the lead to four after a layup by Burgin, trimming the deficit 12-8 at the end of the first period.

UMKC stretched its lead to 21-13 after a mid-range jumper from Dominque Phillips with 5:44 left in the half.

AAMU answered with a 16-4 run, capped by a turnaround jumper from Wilson, giving the Bulldogs a 29-25 lead at the break.

Kansas City trimmed the lead to three, after a couple of free throws from Simmons, making it 34-31, but a layup from Kaylah Turner pushed the margin to 36-31 with five minutes to play in the third quarter.

A buzzer-beater 3-pointer from Burgin gave the Bulldogs a 45-37 advantage entering the final period.

At the start of the final quarter, a couple of free throws from Burgin stretched the AAMU lead to 50-39 with just under seven minutes in the game.

The Roos answered and grabbed the lead, 55-52, on the heels of a 11-0 run, after a layup from Phillips with 1:03 remaining.

Alabama A&M could not answer as UMKC escaped with the victory after game-sealing free throws from Alayna Contreras.

GAME NOTES

• Alabama A&M shot 38.8 percent (19-of-49) from the floor and 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the charity stripe
• AAMU pulled down 35 rebounds, with 27 coming off the defensive glass
• Amiah Simmons registered 13 points with one rebound
• Darian Burgin recorded 12 points, three assists, two steals and a rebound
• Victoria Dixon added 12 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal
• The Bulldogs finished with 26 points in the paint, 18 bench points, 12 fastbreak points, 10 points off 14 UMKC turnovers and seven second-chance points
• Kansas City went 20-of-62 (32.3 percent) from the floor and 15-of-21 (71.4 percent) from the charity stripe
• The Roos grabbed 39 rebounds, with 23 coming off the defensive glass.
• Nariyah Simmons posted a team-high 11 points, two rebounds, one assist and a steal
• Dominique Phillips tallied nine points, two rebounds and two assists
• The Roos finished with 36 bench points, 30 points in the paint, 22 points off 23 AAMU turnovers, 21 second-chance points and four fastbreak points

 
 
UP NEXT
Alabama A&M continues its road trip taking on Chicago State on Monday in the first of three games in the MTE Christmas Tournament, hosted by Florida International University. Tip-off against the Cougars is set for 1 p.m. at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
 
For complete coverage of Alabama A&M Athletics, check out the official homepage at www.aamusports.com.  Remember to follow us on social media: Instagram (@aamuathletics) and Twitter (@_aamuathletics). 
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