Preview: North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — Two Summit League women’s basketball teams seeking momentum will meet Saturday when the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos host the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Municipal Auditorium.

The Kangaroos (7-16) will look to complete a regular-season sweep after a decisive 77-56 victory in Grand Forks on Jan. 10. UMKC guard Zaire Harrell dominated that contest, scoring 22 points in 38 minutes. Harrell, averaging 10.1 points per game, has been a consistent contributor, including a 12-point, 10-rebound performance in a win over Saint Thomas (Minn.) on Jan. 17.

North Dakota (6-18) enters on a five-game losing streak, most recently falling 58-54 at Omaha on Thursday. The Fighting Hawks have struggled offensively, failing to reach 60 points in four of those losses. Forward Ava Miller will be a key for North Dakota. She logged 36 minutes and blocked three shots against Omaha and posted 14 points and four assists in the prior meeting with Oral Roberts. Her defensive presence will be tested against UMKC’s perimeter.

Both teams are coming off tough offensive outings. UMKC was held to 49 points in a loss to North Dakota State on Thursday, while North Dakota has not scored more than 62 points in its last six defeats.

The matchup features two of the league’s lower-tier teams battling to climb the standings ahead of the conference tournament. UMKC sits just one game ahead of North Dakota in the win column. Home court has offered little advantage for the Kangaroos, who are 4-7 at Municipal Auditorium this season.

Saturday’s contest will be the only regular-season meeting in Kansas City. North Dakota visits South Dakota State next Thursday, while UMKC begins a two-game road swing at South Dakota on the same night.

Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST.