The Mavericks opened their home slate with a 27-point victory over the visiting Indiana State Sycamores, winning 72-45 at Baxter Arena. The Mavericks grabbed the lead early and never trailed after the first three minutes of the first quarter. The win moves the Mavericks record to 2-3 (0-0 Summit League), while the loss drops Indiana State to 2-3 (0-0 MVC).
Senior forward Mikaela Shaw paced the Mavericks with 10 points and 13 rebounds, both representing a team high in those respective categories. Junior guards Remy Davenport and Moriah Dapprich both chipped in eight points of their own. The victory saw 10 different Mavericks score more than five points in the game. As a team, the Mavericks shot 43 percent on 28-65 shooting, including a solid 11-26 from three-point range.
Ashley Taia and Rhagen Smith both finished with 11 points on the afternoon, while Smith also contributed a team-high nine rebounds in the losing effort. Overall, the Sycamores shot 26 percent for the game, on only 17-64 shooting, including a poor 4-25 effort as a team from beyond the arc.
After going back and forth in the first three minutes of the game, the Mavericks took the lead for good on a three-point basket from Davenport. Omaha took an 11-7 lead into the first media timeout, and then proceeded to go on a 14-2 run to end the first quarter leading 25-9. Omaha continued their hot shooting throughout the second quarter, and wound up taking a 43-21 lead into the half.
The team cooled down in the second half, falling from their 51 percent shooting in the first half down to 33 percent for the second half. But, the Mavericks never squandered their lead to Indiana State, never allowing the Sycamores within 20 points throughout the half.
Omaha continues their opening home stand against Wofford on Sunday afternoon, with tip-off scheduled for 12:00 pm. Coverage on the game can be heard on MavRadio beginning shortly before noon.
