ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- UNO used a 13-4 run in the closing minutes to pull away from Missouri Western and post its fifth straight win, 78-72, in a non-conference game Tuesday night.
The Mavericks, led by
Michael Jenkins and
Andrew Bridger, who each scored 16 points, improved to 5-0, while the Griffons fell to 4-1.
UNO led by as many as 11 points the first half before Missouri Western whittled the margin down to 36-30 at halftime. The Griffons then used a 10-2 spurt to open the second half to take a 40-38 lead less than two minutes into the second half.
The 13-4 run, climaxed by seven straight points, gave the Mavs a 69-58 lead with 4:24 left. The Griffons again sliced the lead, pulling to within four, but the Mavericks sealed the win with four straight free throws by Bridge and
Justin Petersen.
UNO held a commanding 55-38 edge on the boards and outscored the Griffons 28-11 from the line to offset 31.8 percent shooting from the field. Missouri Western shot 41.5 percent from the floor.
Denny Johnston added 12 points and 10 rebounds and
Jerry Bennett 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for UNO.
Reggie Bunch led the Griffons with 22 points and Lonnel Johnson added 19.
UNO's next action will be Saturday night at Northwest Missouri State. That game will be broadcast on KOZN, 1620 AM.
