One thing about Kansas City is clear: no matter what happens, the Roos aren’t likely to hang their heads as the games get bigger. 
 
Jacie Hoyt’s team wrapped up its home schedule last weekend with a sweep of the North Dakota schools, extending their winning streak to nine games and moving to 12-4 in league play. Half of those Summit wins have included fourth quarter comebacks, something that should bode well with the March spotlight looming. 
 
For senior guard Naomie Alnatas, the Roos have been there, done that. 
 
“Any time our back is against the wall we always have an answer or response,” she said in an interview following a win over North Dakota State on Sunday. “Every single game we came back from was different. I’m happy it’s happened that way since we had to struggle and grind it out because that’s what March is about. Every single one we learned from.” 
 
There have been plenty of adversity-busting moments in those wins. There was last Thursday when the Roos trailed the Fighting Hawks by six points heading into the fourth quarter of a game with big league-tournament seeding implications before winning by 10. There was also the stout defensive effort earlier this month against St. Thomas, where Kansas City held the Tommies to just six points in the fourth quarter in a tight win in St. Paul. 
 
And perhaps most dramatically, there was graduate student Kiara Bradley’s buzzer-beating three to erase an 11-point fourth quarter deficit at Western Illinois before ultimately winning in overtime. That comeback potential has become embedded in the roots of this Roos team, which has won its most Summit League games in program history. 
 
“Our theme is that you can’t count us out,” Hoyt said. “We have a lot of weapons on the floor at all times.” 
 
While Alnatas (18.7 ppg) and Brooklyn McDavid (15.8 ppg) have been the leading duo, the Roos have gotten a bounty of production from their other three starters. Bradley has been a rock solid addition (9.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 39.8 3P%), even when not getting the headline-grabbing moments like against the Leathernecks. The graduate forward transferred to Hoyt’s program from Division II William Jewell College – just 25 miles from the Kansas City campus – after rewriting record books. 
 
She finished her William Jewell career as the program’s all-time leading scorer, and was a Division II honorable mention All-American in 2020-21. And while she hasn’t had to play that type of role for the Roos, she’s been just as integral to the team’s success. 
 
“She never gets too high, she never gets too low and she’ll do anything you ask her,” Hoyt said in a December interview. “I often say she’s our unsung hero because it might not show up on the stat sheet, but she’ll be our MVP because maybe she’s getting the most important stops we need or guarding their best player or coming up with big rebounds.” 
 
Seniors Mandy Willems (32.6 mpg, 8.6 ppg)  and Paige Bradford (9.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg) have also done their part for a starting quintet that’s carried the Roos to that record-breaking number of league wins. Led by Bradford, the Roos have built themselves into a rebounding force and have eliminated second chance opportunities for the opposition. They’ve posted the fourth-best defensive rebounding rate in the country in Division I games per HerHoopStats.com, while creating opportunities on the other end themselves with a Summit-leading 11.4 offensive rebounds per game in league play. 
 
And while there technically was no fourth quarter comeback against the Bison on Saturday – the game was tied heading into the final stanza – Kansas City did need to fend off a different type of adversity. 
 
Alnatas was saddled with foul trouble early, which kept her glued to the bench the entire third quarter and a significant chunk of the fourth quarter. That meant increased action for sophomore guard Sanaa’ St. Andre (19 minutes, 9 points)  and freshman guard Halle Duft (season-high seven minutes in league play). Being able to call on that depth in an important, late season game against a tough opponent was something Hoyt praised after the game. 
 
Those two tag-teamed it for us,” the fifth-year coach said. “Sanaa’ is as fast and athletic as they come, when she’s in the game, that’s going to change it. I thought Halle did a really good job. She knows the scout better than the scout coach, that’s the level or pride she takes in her role.”
 
The Roos finish with the toughest part of their regular season schedule: a road swing to South Dakota to play the league-leading Coyotes and Jackrabbits. That trip is made all the more complicated with similarly red-hot Oral Roberts (10-6) breathing down their neck just two games back of the third seed. That’ll surely be tough to navigate, but like they’ve done with fourth quarter deficits this season, it’s likely Kansas City will be ready for the challenge.