OMAHA, Neb. -
Mikaela Shaw scored a career-high 25 points to go with eight rebounds to lead the Omaha women's basketball team to its third straight win on Senior Day at the Sapp Fieldhouse on Saturday.
The Mavericks, who led the whole way and have only trailed for a total of 2:19 in their current three-game win streak, improved to 12-14 overall and 4-8 in the Summit League, good for a tie for sixth place. Their three-game Summit League win streak is the longest conference win streak by a Maverick team since Feb. 18-25, 2009, back when the Mavs were in the Division II MIAA. Denver fell to 6-21 and 4-8 in league play. The Pioneers' 41 points was by far their season low - 13 points fewer than the 54 they scored at Marquette on Dec. 20.
The Mavs' lone senior,
Ericka House, had seven points, three rebounds and two assists in her final game at the Sapp Fieldhouse. But Shaw helped make sure House's final game in Omaha was a winner, hitting 11-of-16 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the free throw line to surpass her previous career best of 17, which she had on Thursday in the win over South Dakota.
It was all Mavericks from the get-go. The Mavs scored the game's first eight points, four each by Shaw and
Madi Robson. After Denver made it 8-4, Shaw hit two more baskets and
Victoria Trowbridge hit a short jumper from the baseline to give the Mavs a 14-6 advantage.
The Mavs swarmed the Pioneers on the defensive end and were efficient on the offensive end, scoring on five straight possessions to build a 25-13 lead on a House jumper at the 8:16 mark. The Mavs went up 28-13 with 7:06 left in the half on basket and free throw from Shaw.
UNO led by 10 at the break but took control with a 7-0 run out of the gate to go up 40-23 with 18:05 to play. Shaw began the spurt with another and-one, and House and
Taijhe Kelly each connected on baskets.
Denver crept back to within 40-27 at the 17:06 point, but Omaha blew it open with a 21-8 run over the next 12:59 to take a 61-35 lead with 4:07 left on a trey by Robson.
The Mavs shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) and 4-of-16 (25.0 percent) from 3-point range. Denver was 15-of-54 (27.8 percent) overall and 1-of-16 (6.3 percent) from behind the arc. The Mavs outrebounded DU 42-36 and won the battle in the paint, 26-16.
Three Mavs finished in double figures. In addition to Shaw's career day, Robson and Kelly each had 10 points.
Lanese Bough had six points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Alison Janecek was the only Denver player in double figures with 10 points. Denver's top four scorers entering the game combined for just 16 points on 5-of-25 shooting. The Mavs held preseason All-Summit League First-Team selection Morgan Van Riper-Rose to no points, no assists, one rebound and three turnovers, and held DU's leading scorer, Paige Bradley, to just two points and one assist with six turnovers.
Omaha finishes the season with two games in Indiana next week. The Mavs are at IUPUI on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT) and at Fort Wayne on Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT).
