Box Score
OMAHA, Neb. -- After rallying from a 10-point second half deficit with an 11-0 run to take the lead, the UNO women's basketball team was unable to hang on, as the No. 20 Emporia State Lady Hornets clipped the Mavericks, 62-57, on Saturday at Sapp Fieldhouse.
The loss dropped UNO to 6-14 overall and 3-13 in the MIAA. The defending national champion Lady Hornets improved to 15-5 overall and 12-4 in the MIAA, while snapping a two-game road losing streak.
The Mavs whittled a 13-point first half deficit down to one, 39-38, early in the second half, but the Lady Hornets answered with a 15-6 run to take a 54-44 lead with 8:47 left in the game.
But the Mavs battled back, going on an 11-0 run over the next 5:25 to take the lead, 55-54, when #
Heather Pohl# nailed a 3-pointer with 3:22 left.
Kelsey Balcom regained the lead for the Lady Hornets with a close basket with 2:24 remaining, ending a 6:23 scoring drought for Emporia State. But #
Jamie Nash# then drove the lane for a layup to give UNO a 57-56 lead with 1:51 to play.
After an Emporia State turnover, the Mavs failed to extend the lead on their next possession, and the Lady Hornets' Alli Volkens sank two free throws for a 58-57 lead with 44 seconds left.
Nash then saw her 3-pointer bounce away, and Rheanna Egli made both ends of a one-and-one to give the Lady Hornets a 60-57 lead. Pohl's contested 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining was long off the rim, and Volkens nailed two free throws with four seconds left for the 62-57 win.
Pohl led UNO with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Nash added 12 points, five assists and five steals. Rachel Hanf led the Lady Hornets with 16 points, while the freshman Balcom added 11. The Mavs' limited the All-MIAA performer Volkens to just six points, but she did grab a game-high 13 rebounds.
UNO trailed by as many as 13 in the first half, but used a 20-8 run spanning both halves to pull within 39-38 early in the second half. But the Lady Hornets answered with a 15-6 run to push the lead back to 10, setting up the Mavs' comeback and exciting finish.
UNO hosts Missouri Western on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Sapp Fieldhouse.
