Complete Game Notes

The Mavericks will begin Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association competition this week as they host two games at Sapp Fieldhouse. Wednesday Nebraska-Omaha (5-0) will host Washburn at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday the Mavs will host Fort Hays State at 6 p.m. The games will be the first of a three-game homestand and a stretch where six of seven are played at home.

The Mavericks continued their season-opening win streak with three wins last week. They scored in a triple digits in a 113-75 win against Peru State Tuesday and then over the weekend they defeated Chadron State and Wayne State (Neb.) in the SUNHEAT College Basketball Classic in Grand Island, Neb.

Washburn also is 5-0 after topping five straight NAIA opponents at home. Last week the Ichabods had wins over Bethany, Kansas Wesleyan and Baker. Fort Hays State enters the week at 3-0 and will play twice before coming to Omaha. The Tigers will host Newman Monday before playing at NCAA Division I Kansas State on Tuesday.

The Mavericks are led by junior guard Tyler Bullock. He's averaging 19.0 points a game and he's led UNO in scoring in every game this year but the opener. He had 28 at Rockhurst on November 18 and 24 against Wayne State last Saturday. Senior guard Andrew Bridger is averaging 9.2 assists a game and he's reached double figures three times in assists this year.

Following The Mavericks
Fans can follow all the action this week on 90.7 KVNO FM on Wednesday. On Saturday they can hear the game on 90.7-2 KVNO HD with a high-definition radio. They can listen to both broadcasts online by linking to them off the schedule page at www.omavs.com/mbb. Fans can also find a link to live stats and a video webcast on the schedule page.

Most games throughout the year will be available through 90.7 KVNO FM or 90.7-2 KVNO HD. Live video and live stats will be available for all home games and many away games. Fans can find links to all live video, audio and stats through www.omavs.com/mbb on the schedule page.

The Coaches
UNO head coach Derrin Hansen is in his fifth year at Nebraska-Omaha and overall as a head coach. He is 74-50 with a .597 winning percentage. His winning percentage ranks fourth all-time among UNO coaches with at least four years at the school. Hansen served as the assistant coach at UNO from 1998-2005 before taking over for the 2005-06 season.

Hansen is a 1991 graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan. He played for the Plainsmen and helped lead them to the Division III semifinal in 1987-88. He coached high school for two seasons after graduating and then spent two years at Nebraska-Kearney from 1993-95 as a graduate assistant and two years at Mid-Plains CC from 1995-98.

Washburn coach Bob Chipman is in his 31st year coaching. All of his years have been spent at WU and he has a 667-264 (.716) record. His winning percentage is third among NCAA II coaches with at least 10 years of experience. His 1986-87 team won the NAIA national championship and his 2000-01 team advanced to the NCAA championship game and finished as runner-up. Chipman is a 1973 graduate of Kansas State where he played two seasons for the Wildcats.

FHSU coach Mark Johnson is 161-75 (.682) in his nine seasons with the Tigers and overall as a head coach. He is a 1993 graduate of Pittsburg State where he earned all-MIAA honors in both his seasons with the Gorillas.

The Series
Washburn leads the all-time series against UNO, 25-17 since 1951-52 when records became available.
The two teams split their first meetings last year as MIAA foes. Prior to that, they hadn't played  each other since the 1986-87 season.

That meeting in 1986-87 was the only to go into overtime. Washburn won that game, 69-62.

Fort Hays State leads its series with UNO, 24-12 since 1951-52 when records became available.

The two teams split their MIAA match ups last year but the Tigers beat UNO in the conference tournament to end the Mavericks' season.

Prior to last year's meeting, the schools hadn't played each other since the 1972-73 season.
The two have never played an overtime game together.

Mavs Near School Record With 113-Point Game
The Mavericks had their fifth-highest scoring output in school history in a 113-75 win over Peru State last Tuesday at Sapp Fieldhouse. The UNO school record for points in a game is 119 against Concordia (Wis.) in 1978-79. The 113 ties for the fifth most in school history. The Mavs last scored 100 or more on December 9, 2008, in a 101-58 win against York.

Rebounds Well Distributed
Five different Mavericks have led or tied for the team lead in rebounds in UNO's first five games. Senior forwards Matt Newman and Dion Curry have each led UNO twice while Eugene Bain, Tyler Bullock and Josh Lynch have led or shared the lead once each. Three different times those top rebounders have come off the bench (Newman twice and Lynch once).

Bain leads UNO with 6.0 rebounds a game and 30 total. Newman is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds a game while Curry is grabbing 5.4 a game. Bain leads UNO with two double-figure rebounding games.

Bridger Unselfish And Well-Rounded
Head coach Derrin Hansen pointed out before the season started that Andrew Bridger will have to do more than just score baskets when he's running UNO's offense. The senior point guard has been able to shoot and draw fouls to score for UNO and he also has produced opportunities for the rest of his team with assists.

In the opener against Doane he had a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists. He was 4-of-9 from the field with three rebounds and a steal. At Rockhurst he had 10 assists to reach double figures for the second straight time and then he did it one more time with 12 last Friday against Chadron State.

He is averaging 9.2 assists with just 2.8 turnovers for a 3.3 assist/turnover ratio. He's also scoring 7.0 points a game with 3.4 rebounds and a .857 free throw shooting percentage.

Bridger is UNO's leading returning scorer from last year. He averaged 11.5 points a game and shot 82 percent from the free throw line. Both of those totals were second best on the team last year. He led the team with 125 assists and he is currently sixth with 359 career assists. Another season with at least 100 will move him into the top five.

Bullock Shooting 67 Percent To Start Season
Senior guard Tyler Bullock, who sat out all of last year after transferring, started the season 15-of-17 from the field to shoot 88 percent. His shooting percentage has dropped to 67 percent, but he continues to score tons of points. He leads UNO with 19.0 a game and he's been the leading scorer in all but the first game of the year. He had a team season-high 28 points at Rockhurst on November 18 and then he had 24 against Wayne State last weekend.

Bullock is one of three Mavericks who was at Nebraska-Kearney before coming to UNO. He did not play for the Lopers but prior to that, he was a starter at Denver. He started all 29 games for the Division I Pioneers in 2006-07 and averaged 11.0 points a game.

Martin Continues Hot Shooting
Junior guard Jeff Martin is UNO's leading 3-point shooter with 17. He's shooting 52 percent from long distance and 51 percent overall to averaged 13.8 points a game. Martin is one of two Mavericks to score in double figures in all five games. He had a season-high 18 in the opener against Doane on November 15.

Martin played in UNO's first five games last year before a broken ankle forced him to miss the rest of the season and get a medical redshirt. He averaged 9.6 points a game and shot 53 percent in those five games. He played his first two seasons at UNK and averaged 13.5 points a game his sophomore year as a full-time starter with the Lopers.

Curry Keeps On Scoring Inside For UNO
Senior forward Dion Curry has reached double figures in every game this year and he's shooting 68 percent from the field as UNO's starting post player. He's third on the team with 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds a game.

Curry started 24 of 28 games last year and scored 9.4 points a game with 5.4 rebounds.

Bain Strong Off The Boards
Junior forward Eugene Bain is leading UNO with 6.0 rebounds a game and he's reached double figures two games with 11 against Doane and 10 at Rockhurst. He added 12 points against Doane for a double-double and he's averaging 9.0 points a game and shooting 60 percent from the field.

Bain played at North Platte Community College for two seasons and averaged 16.9 points a game and 11.2 rebounds last year. His rebound average was No. 10 in the nation and he earned NJCAA second team All-America.

Newman Strong Off The Boards And Strong Off The Bench
Senior forward Matt Newman has come off the bench to average 5.6 rebounds a game, second best on the team. He's led UNO in rebounding twice and he reached double figures once with 11 against Rockhurst.
Newman averaged 3.1 rebounds a game last year and 5.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 19 games with four starts.

Coming Up
The Mavericks will return to non-conference play with a 10:30 a.m. game against York on Tuesday, December 8, at Sapp Fieldhouse. They will then travel to Northwest Missouri State for a 3:30 p.m. game on Saturday, December 12.

Time Change
UNO's game against York on December 8 at Sapp Fieldhouse has been moved from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 a.m.