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Senior guard Kevin Nelson (Detroit, Mich.) scored a game-high 30 points, including 22 in the second half, to lead the Pirates. Senior Brandon Voorhees (Grandville, Mich.) added 25 points, 15 of which came in the first half, while junior Nick Burton (Kansas City, Mo.) had 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Junior Terrell Dyer (Kansas City, Kan.) and junior Michael Zimmerman (Ft. Wright, Ky.) rounded out Park's players in double figures with 16 and 12 points, respectively.
The Pirates got off to a quick start by taking a 35-20 lead with 5:12 left in the first half thanks in part to four first-half three-pointers by Voorhees.
UMKC, which trailed 43-34 at halftime, opened the second half on a 19-6 run to take a 53-49 lead with 13:47 to play in regulation.
The game remained close into the final minutes before the Kangaroos used a 9-0 spurt to grab an 86-80 advantage with 1:31 to play. The Pirates responded though with a run of their own, closing out the second half on a 10-4 run. The run was capped by Dyer who hit a jumper on the baseline with 12 seconds left, tying the game up at 90-90 and sending the game to overtime.
Park found itself down again with less than 90 seconds remaining in the overtime period as UMKC held a 99-97 lead. Dyer responded though by converting on a three-point play with 36 seconds on the clock to put the Pirates up by one. Park then hit 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
For the game, the Pirates shot 50.0 percent from the field (33-of-66), including hitting 11-of-27 three-point field goals.
UMKC was led in scoring by Quinton Day, who had 24 points on 8-of-25 shooting from the floor.
Park returns to the floor Friday at the Hampton Inn Classic in Liberty, Mo., against rival William Jewell College starting at 8 p.m.
