Box Score
OMAHA, Neb. - The Mavericks led by four with five minutes left in the game but they were out-scored, 20-6 by Fort Hays State the rest of the way as they suffered their first loss of the season, 79-68 Saturday night at Sapp Fieldhouse.
The Mavericks dropped to 6-1 and 1-1 in the MIAA while the Tigers improved to 5-1 and 1-0. Nebraska-Omaha will be in action Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. against York at Sapp Fieldhouse.
Four Mavericks scored in double figures. #
Andrew Bridger led the bunch with 20 points off a 6-of-13 performance from the field and 6-of-6 night from the free throw line. Matt Newman came off the bench to score 15 points while Dion Curry added 12 and Eugene Bain# had 10.
Newman added 10 rebounds for a double-double and Bain and Curry each had eight. The Mavericks won the rebound battle, 45-34.
The Mavericks shot a season-low 33 percent while FHSU was 48 percent from the field, a season-high allowed by UNO this year. The Mavs were 75 percent from the free throw line but just 17 percent from 3-point range.
Ken Bowman led FHSU with 20 points and Willie Hassell Had 17.
UNO led, 62-58 at the 4:51 mark but a 9-1 run gave the Tigers a five-point lead with 2:26 remaining. The Mavericks never got any closer and the Tigers made five free throws in the final minute to maintain the lead.
The Mavericks led just once early in the first half. The Tigers built an eight-point lead, 24-16 at the 10:17 mark. They led by that amount at the 7:33 mark and they held a four-point lead at halftime, 34-30.
