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FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The UNO men's basketball team opened the Division I era on Saturday, falling 83-72 at future Summit League foe IPFW at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. With the loss, Nebraska Omaha is 0-1 on the year, while the Mastodons improve to 1-0.

Freshman guard CJ Carter led the way for the Mavericks, totaling 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting in his career debut. He was also 3-for-4 from 3-point range and added a team-leading pair of steals. Carter became the first true freshman to start for UNO since Andrew Bridger did so in 2006-07.

Three other Mavs finished with double-figure scoring: senior guard Mitch Albers (15), junior guard Bill Freeman (14) and junior forward Alex Welhouse (13). Welhouse also tied his career high with a team-best eight rebounds, and Albers matched his career high of six assists.

Frank Gaines, a preseason All-Summit League pick, paced IPFW with a career-high 29 points for the day, including a 9-for-10 effort from the charity stripe. Trey McCorkle added 19 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double, while Jason Smeathers chipped in 10 points of his own.

As a team, Nebraska Omaha shot 41.5 percent from the field, helped by a 16-for-32 effort from the field in the second half. The Mastodons finished 49.2 percent from the field and shot 81 percent from the free throw line.

IPFW ran out to a 9-0 lead to open the game, and Carter finally got the Mavs on the board with a basket at 15:28. A 3-pointer by Gaines stretched IPFW's lead to 14-2, but Welhouse responded with a trey of his own. Later on, Michael Kibiloski dropped in a three, but Freeman had a field goal and Carter put up a 3-pointer at 22-10. A triple from Freeman pulled the Mavericks within five at 26-21, and UNO shave the margin to three with back-to-back buckets by Albers at 34-31. Seven unanswered IPFW points closed the half, giving the Mastodons a 41-31 advantage heading into the locker room.

Welhouse was the first Maverick to reach double-figure scoring in the game, notching 10 points and five rebounds in the first stanza. Gaines had 14 points and five rebounds to his credit, while McCorkle led the way on the boards with six rebounds.

Albers kicked off the second half with a layup, but IPFW made quick work to take a 50-36 lead by the first timeout at 15:17.
Carter had a steal with a fast-break layup to cut it to 57-44 with 11 minutes to go, but Marlin and Gaines had back-to-back threes to put IPFW over the 60-point mark. With 6:35 remaining, Carter put up a three that made him the fourth Maverick in double figures for the day and made it 69-49.

A 12-7 UNO run capped by a pair of Freeman free throws and a jumper from Carter made it 76-61 with just under four minutes to go. Karhoff then made a pair of charity shots, and a basket by Albers pushed it to 76-63. After a UNO timeout at 2:18, Albers came out with an immediate layup to make it 78-67, and Carter chipped in a basket and a free throw to bring the Mavericks within eight at 78-70. Despite another score by Welhouse, a combined five points from Gaines and Marlin gave IPFW its closing effort and the win at 83-72.

UNO returns to action on Monday, Nov. 14, making its home debut against Concordia at Sapp Fieldhouse. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game begins Nebraska Omaha's final season playing at the on-campus venue.