Box Score

EMPORIA, Kan. - Playing its third straight MIAA road game, the UNO women's basketball team fell at the hands of defending national champion No. 8 Emporia State on Wednesday night, 66-54, at White Auditorium.

Nebraska-Omaha (3-4, 0-3 MIAA) trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half, but whittled the lead down to eight with 4:18 left in the game. However, the Lady Hornets (6-1, 3-0 MIAA) extended the lead down the stretch to seal the win.   

Jamie Nash led the Mavericks with 11 points. Sara Reeves added 10 points off the bench.

The Mavs got down early, as Emporia State raced to a 6-0 lead in the game's first two minutes. The Mavs kept within striking distance for much of the half, getting within 22-18 on a Paige Frauendorfer layup with 7:21 remaining in the half.

But the Lady Hornets closed the half after that on a 15-4 run to take a 37-22 edge into the locker room.

In the second half, two free throws by the Lady Hornets' Kelly Balcom pushed the lead to 50-32 with 13:41 to play.

The Mavs didn't go away though, as they have shown in all three of their conference road games. Reeves converted a four-point play, then Jordan Spencer scored her only basket of the night and Nash made a layup to make it 50-40 with 10:54 left.

Emporia State extended the lead back to 14 points, but four more points from Reeves and an old-fashioned three-point play by Heather Pohl, sandwiched around a Balcom free throw, brought the lead down to just eight at 57-49, with 4:18 to play.

The Lady Hornets answered with four points, though, and UNO didn't score again until the 1:41 mark. The Lady Hornets hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to walk away with the 66-54 win.

Jocelyn Cummings and Alli Volkens led Emporia State with 14 points, while Balcom added 11. Volkens also grabbed 18 rebounds.

The Mavericks play their first MIAA home game this Saturday at 5:30 p.m., against Northwest Missouri State.