By Brian Tessmer
OMAHA, Neb. — In a season where the Omaha Mavericks have already surpassed expectations, JJ White added another unprecedented chapter.
With the clock winding down in a back-and-forth game, North Dakota’s Treyson Eaglestaff sank a three-pointer to tie the game at 77 with 14 seconds remaining. Omaha quickly called a timeout to strategize a final play.
Senior guard JJ White approached head coach Chris Crutchfield and said, “Give me the ball.”
White received the inbound pass and never gave it up. As the clock ticked under five seconds, North Dakota guard Eli King managed to get a hand on the ball, briefly knocking it away. White quickly regained possession in front of the Mavericks’ bench and launched a desperate final attempt, sinking a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Omaha an 80-77 victory.
Game Summary
The game was highly competitive, featuring 23 lead changes and 21 ties—14 of which came in the second half. Omaha’s largest lead was six points at the 13:22 mark in the first half.
North Dakota, which averages over 14 offensive rebounds per game and ranks 13th nationally in offensive rebounding, was held to just four offensive boards. Omaha grabbed 10 of its own.
Despite being outshot in every statistical category—North Dakota shot 54.2% from the field, 56.3% from three-point range, and 80% from the free-throw line—White took over in the final moments, scoring Omaha’s last 13 points, including the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
Summit League Standings and Upcoming Schedule
With the victory, Omaha improves to 9-1 in Summit League play. St. Thomas’ loss to South Dakota State in Brookings gives the Mavericks a one-game lead in the standings with six games remaining.
Omaha faces its most challenging three-game stretch of conference play, starting with a home matchup against fourth-ranked North Dakota State on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. The Mavericks will then travel to Brookings to take on third-ranked South Dakota State, which boasts an 11-0 home record this season. They will then head to St. Paul for a crucial game against second-ranked St. Thomas before closing the regular season at Kansas City, then returning home to face South Dakota and Oral Roberts.
Summit League Standings
- Omaha 9-1 (15-10)
- St. Thomas 8-2 (18-7)
- South Dakota State 7-3 (16-9)
- North Dakota State 6-4 (17-8)
- South Dakota 5-4 (14-10)
- North Dakota 3-7 (9-16)
- Oral Roberts 2-7 (6-16)
- Kansas City 2-8 (10-15)
- Denver 2-8 (8-17)
