Box Score Box Score (PDF/HTML)
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Omaha men's basketball team opened the Joe Cipriano Nebraska Classic on Friday, falling 76-52 to Tulane at Devlin Fieldhouse. The Mavericks are now 1-3 (0-0 Summit League) on the year, while the Green Wave improves to 2-1 (0-0 Conference USA).
Junior guard
Alex Phillips led Omaha with 13 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal, marking his third consecutive double-figure scoring performance.
Junior
Matt Hagerbaumer had a team-best seven rebounds with five points and an assist, and junior center
John Karhoff added four boards, four points and two assists. Junior guard
Caleb Steffensmeier chipped in six points off the bench with a pair of 3-pointers, and redshirt freshman
Simon Krych matched Steffensmeier with six points of his own.
Tulane had three players finish with double-fiugre scoring efforts, paced by 27 points from Jordan Callahan, who went 6-for-10 from long range. Callahan added four rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Josh Davis had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds with three assists, and Ricky Tarrant finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Tre Drye also had 10 rebounds to his credit.
As a team, the Green Wave shot 46 percent from the field, while the Mavericks finished at a 29 percent clip.
Tulane took an early 16-6 lead, but the Mavericks chipped away with a 6-0 run capped by a Steffensmeier three to make it a four-point ballgame. The Green Wave then went on a seven-point run of its own, but it was broken up by Hagerbaumer's second dunk of the half and a 3-pointer from Phillips to keep UNO within eight. Tulane closed the half with a 10-4 stretch, however, leading 35-21 by halftime.
In the second half, Tulane improved its shooting from the floor to 50 percent, outscoring the Mavericks 41-31. The Green Wave went on to take the win by a tally of 76-52, notching its second win of the Nebraska Classic this week after a 65-55 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday.
Omaha returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 18, traveling to in-state rival Nebraska. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb., and the game will be broadcast live on BTN.com. Robert Ford will also have the call on 1180 AM, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
