Final Stats

FARGO, N.D. - In a wild finish, the UNO women's basketball team had a chance to win the game at the buzzer but came up just short, falling 63-62 at North Dakota State on Saturday night.

The Mavs dropped to 16-10 overall and 6-8 in The Summit League. The Bison improved to 10-17 overall and 6-9 in league play.

Omaha nearly pulled off a stunning victory in the final seconds. Trailing by four, Carolyn Blair-Mobley scored a layup with 13 seconds left to cut it to 63-61. The Bison inbounded the ball and took a timeout under pressure from the Mavs, but NDSU didn't have any timeouts remaining. North Dakota State was issued a technical foul, and the Mavs were awarded two free throws and possession of the basketball with nine seconds left.

Paige Frauendorfer missed the first free throw and hit the second to make it 63-62. On the final possession, Frauendorfer took a 12-foot baseline jumper at the buzzer but it rimmed away.

The Mavs suffered a slow start on the road, falling behind 23-9 by the 11:07 mark of the first half. But UNO turned it around to the tune of a 26-11 spurt over the next 8:36. Ericka House hit back-to-back 3-pointers to turn a 34-27 deficit into a 34-33 deficit, and Frauendorfer scored to give UNO its first lead at 35-34 with 2:31 left in the first half. The Bison closed the half with a 3-pointer by Katie Birkel for a 40-37 halftime lead.

In the second half, NDSU scored the first nine points for a 12-0 run spanning both halves and a 49-37 lead at the 15:58 mark.

The Mavs again dug themselves out of the hole though. Trailing 52-39, UNO went on a 12-0 run to get within one point at 52-51 with 6:51 left. But Birkel answered with a 3-pointer to push the lead back to four. NDSU maintained a four-point lead at 61-57 with 1:34 to play, but Blair-Mobley drained two free throws with 21 seconds left to make it 61-59. After Birkel hit two free throws to extend the lead to four again with 19 seconds left, Blair-Mobley drove for a quick two to get back within one possession, setting up the wild end that nearly allowed the Mavs to steal the win on the road.

Blair-Mobley led the Mavs with 20 points and had seven rebounds. Frauendorfer had 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. House had 13 points, and Taijhe Kelly had 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots.

Birkel led all players with 23 points.

UNO shot 35.8 percent (24-of-67), while NDSU shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56). The Mavs shot just 20.0 percent from 3-point range (5-of-25), while the Bison connected on 40.9 percent (9-of-22).

The Mavs return home next week for a pair of games to finish their season. UNO hosts South Dakota on Thursday at 7 p.m.