Final Stats
OMAHA, Neb. - A furious come-from-behind effort late in the second half wasn't enough for the UNO women's basketball team, as it dropped a 70-59 contest to Western Illinois on Monday before 431 fans at the Sapp Fieldhouse.
The Mavericks (12-10) trailed by as many as 21 in the second half but rallied to within six with just under five minutes left. But the Leathernecks (8-13, 4-6) withstood the comeback and escaped with the win. The future Summit League rivals each earned wins on the other's home floor this year, as UNO won at Western Illinois 65-58 on Dec. 20.
Heather Pohl had a season-high 23 points and added 10 rebounds, while
Paige Frauendorfer had 13 points and 11 rebounds. But the Mavericks shot just 29.4 percent overall (20-of-68). Sadie Webb had a game-high 24 points to go with 10 rebounds for Western Illinois. Valencia Kelly also had a double-double - 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Mavs had fallen behind 58-37 with 12:27 left in the game. After a 3-pointer by Pohl cut it to 18, Webb scored from close range to put WIU back up by 20, 60-40, with 10:57 left.
That's when UNO started to chip away.
Amanda Woodring hit a 3-pointer fresh off the bench, then Frauendorfer drained two free throws to make it 60-45 with 9:42 left. After three missed shots by Western Illinois on their next possession - including one blocked by
Taijhe Kelly - Pohl got open in the corner on a kickout from Kelly and hit a 3-pointer to get within 60-51 with 8:01 left. Pohl was fouled on the play and had to wait until after a Leatherneck timeout to add the free throw to make it 60-52, capping a 12-0 run.
Following a media timeout later, Woodring had a trey rim in and out that would've cut the lead to five. Instead, Western Illinois got a 3-pointer from Saule Kontautaite to go up 63-52 with 6:20 left. After the teams traded two points each, Pohl again connected from deep to get within 65-57. UNO's Kelly scored a turnaround eight-footer on the Mavs' next possession to make it 65-59 with 4:20 left and fire up the crowd, but that would be UNO's last points of the game.
The Mavs couldn't score despite two chances on their next possession, and Western Illinois' Kelly hit a dagger 3-pointer to make it 68-59 with 3:05 remaining. UNO went 0-for-6 the rest of the way to suffer its third home loss of the season.
Both teams finished with 14 turnovers, while Western Illinois held a slight 50-44 edge on the glass. UNO had seven blocked shots - a career-high-tying four by Kelly and three by Frauendorfer.
In a tightly contested first half, Western Illinois closed on an 8-0 run to claim a 38-27 halftime lead. The Mavs were held scoreless for the final 2:43 after a 3-pointer by Pohl had drawn them within three. The Mavs had led 11-10 on free throws by Pohl with 13:08 remaining in the first half, but the Leathernecks led by a slim margin for most of the first half until their late run.
The Leathernecks extended their run to 19-3 early in the second half to take a 49-30 lead with 16:57 left. Kontautaite opened the half with a 3-pointer, then Frauendorfer answered with a 3-pointer. After that, Western Illinois scored eight straight points to take control. UNO answered with five points to cut it to 49-35 with 15:11 left, but the Leathernecks again gained separation with a 9-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 21 points.
Pohl finished 6-of-10 from 3-point range, but the rest of the Mavs combined to go 3-for-13 from long distance.
Jamie Nash had eight points and seven assists, while Kelly had a balanced game with four points, five rebounds and four blocks.
The Mavericks are back at home on Thursday against Sioux Falls. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
