OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha women's basketball team dropped a 69-54 game to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) on Sunday afternoon at Sapp Fieldhouse.
The Mavericks are now 5-5 on the season, while the Cougars improve to 3-5 overall.
Omaha had three scorers in double figures. Brianna Bogard led the Mavs with 17 points, including a 6-for-7 effort from the free-throw line. Freshman Remy Davenport had 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers. Taijhe Kelly chipped in 10 points, all in the second half. Kelly also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots. Mikaela Shaw had two points and 11 rebounds. Madi Robson added five rebounds and a game-high five assists.
SIUE had two players reach double digit points. Gwen Adams had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, including a 10-for-11 effort at the free-throw line. Tierny Austin had a game-high 19 points.
The game got off to a slow start offensively, as the teams were tied 9-9 at the 14:05 in th first half. Omaha's first three buckets came from behind the 3-point arc. Bogard and Felicia Anderson combined for the Mavs' baskets from beyond the arc.
SIUE stretched the lead to seven points with 8:34 left in the half. Two Remy Davenport three-pointers plus a made bucket and free-throw from Bogard tied the game at 21-21 at the 6:56 mark. From there, the Cougars outscored UNO 14-7 the rest of the half to take a 35-28 lead at the break.
The Mavs trailed by as many as 17 points midway through the second half, but didn't fold. Down 57-40 with 6:25 to play, UNO reeled off six straight points courtesy of a Kelly basket and a pair of free-throws, along with a Lanese Bough lay-up. That cut the deficit to 57-46 with 4:16 left and gave the Mavs life.
Another Kelly jumper and a free-throw from Bough cut the lead to 10 points, 59-49, with 2:19 remaining. After a timeout, the Mavs could not keep their momentum, and SIUE finished the game on a 10-5 run.
Omaha shot 25.8 percent (17-for-66), while SIUE hit 39.0 percent (23-for-59) from the floor. The Mavs were outrebounded 47-38 on the evening, but forced the Cougars into more turnovers 17-15.
UNO returns to the hardwood next weekend when they visit cross-town foe, Creighton, on Saturday, Dec. 20. Game time is set for 12 p.m. at D.J. Sokol Arena.
