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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UNO men's basketball team fell just short of its first win against a Division I opponent on Wednesday night, dropping a 77-74 loss to UMKC in the final seconds at Swinney Recreation Center. After tonight's game, both teams move forward with an overall record of 1-2.

Senior guard Mitch Albers finished with 26 points – his second straight performance of at least 20 points – while adding five assists, two steals, and a career-high-tying two blocks. The Papillion, Neb., native's point total also moved him up to eighth on the UNO career scoring leaders list, allowing him to pass Thor Palamore, who had 1,309 points from 1987 to 1991. Albers now has 1,329 in just over three seasons.

Sophomore center John Karhoff also had with a double-figure scoring effort, notching a career-high 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field. Junior forward Alex Welhouse pulled down a career-best 10 rebounds and added five points of his own.

As a team, UNO shot 54.9 percent from the floor and 75 percent at the free throw line, but the Mavs were just 3-for-17 from behind the arc. UMKC was strong from 3-point range, finishing with 13 treys, five of which came from guard Reggie Chamberlain.

Chamberlain was the Kangaroos' leading scorer with 28 points, shooting 10-for-18 from the field and 5-for-10 from long range. Trinity Hall added 11 points and nine rebounds, while Kirk Korver had two late 3-pointers in the second half that were key in keeping UMKC within striking distance.

Chamberlain got UMKC on the board first, but Welhouse came right back with a jumper on an assist from Karhoff. Helped by back-to-back baskets by Albers and Karhoff, the Mavericks went up 13-8 by the first media timeout, but UMKC rallied to take the lead with five straight points from Chamberlain. The Kangaroos' back-to-back 3-pointers made it 23-17, with the run was cut off with a Karhoff layup. Sophomore guard Steffensmeier then hit his first three, and freshman guard CJ Carter added a bucket to bring the Mavs within one, but UMKC held on to the lead for another eight minutes. With 1:31 left, a pair of charity shots from Albers spurred the Mavs to a 44-43 advantage by halftime.

UMKC's Dustin Dibble opened the second stanza with a layup to put the 'Roos back on top, but Albers put up five straight point to push the Mavs ahead at 51-47. The two teams traded baskets, and at 58-all, Carter had a key steal and the breakaway layup to break the tie, followed by another basket by Karhoff to push UNO ahead 62-58.

Albers chipped in a jumper and a free throw to make it 65-68, but Nebraska Omaha squandered its eight-point advantage, allowing an 8-0 run capped by a Korver three to put UMKC ahead by one. The Mavs then used a pair of Carter free throws and a three-point play by Karhoff to go up 70-66, but the 'Roos rallied right back with five straight points from Chamberlain to go up by one again. A layup by Carter put the Mavs on top again, and Korver responded with a second trey to make it 74-72 with 2:47 to go.

After a combined four missed 3-pointers by both teams, Steffensmeier broke the silence with a jumper in the lane with 36 seconds to go, knotting the score at 74-74. UMKC then took possession and wound the clock down, and a final three by Chamberlain with 1.9 seconds remaining gave the Kangaroos the 77-74 win for their first victory of the season.

In all, the contest included 13 ties and 16 lead changes for the night.

UNO returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 20, traveling to future Summit League foe South Dakota. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.