THE GAME
The Omaha women's basketball opens the road portion of the 2014-15 Summit League schedule on Sunday, Jan. 4, against Western Illinois. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill.
THE TEAMS
Omaha (5-8, 0-1 Summit League) opened Summit League play at home against South Dakota on Friday, Jan. 2. The Mavs trailed by two at halftime, but the Coyotes pulled away in the second half to secure the win, 64-48.
Western Illinois (9-5, 1-0 Summit League) started Summit League play on the road against Fort Wayne on Friday evening. The Leathernecks were down seven points (47-40) at halftime, but rallied for a 98-85 victory.
MAV NOTES
- Sophomore Mikaela Shaw and freshman Remy Davenport each scored a game high 15 points in Friday night's game against South Dakota.
- Shaw was 7-for-14 from the floor and grabbed nine rebounds.
- Davenport was 5-for-8 from behind the 3-point arc against the Coyotes.
- Junior Brianna Bogard had a game-high 25 points against Utah Valley on Monday, Dec. 29, 2014. Bogard was 8-for-18 from the floor, including four second half 3-pointers.
- Shaw leads the Mavericks in scoring and rebounds this season. She averages 12.6 points and 9.9 rebounds per game this season.
- Bogard is second on the team in scoring. She is averaging 12.3 points per game.
- Senior guard Lanese Bough leads the team in assists (58) and steals (32). Bough is also second on the team in rebounds (69).
- Shaw has scored in double-digits eight times this season, which is the most on the team. She has had four double-doubles this season.
- Senior center Taijhe Kelly leads the team with 31 blocked shots. Kelly has blocked four or more shots in a game four times this season.
- Omaha is 1-3 against teams appearing in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25. The Mavs lost to Northern Colorado (RV), North Dakota (RV), and South Dakota (RV), but defeated #14 Bakersfield, 80-68.
- This season, Omaha averages 38.4 rebounds and 13.2 assists per game.
- UNO leads the Summit League in field goal defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense. The Mavs are also second in scoring defense.
SCOUTING THE WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS
Western Illinois (9-5, 10- Summit League) enters Sunday afternoon's game having won three straight games and five of six. The Leathernecks trailed by seven points on Friday night to Fort Wayne, but rallied for a 98-85 victory.
Western Illinois is led by Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, Ashley Luke. Luke averages 16.7 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game. This season she has earned Summit League honors twice. Tori Niemann and Sophie Reichelt each average double digits points for the Leathernecks. Niemann is second on the team averaging 11.1 points per game, while Reichelt averages 10.8 ppg.
WIU is led by fourth year head coach JD Gravina. Gravina is in his fourth season in Macomb and has a 49-56 mark. He is in his 10th season overall and has a 162-117 career mark.
THE SERIES
Sunday's game marks the seventh all-time meeting between the two programs. Omaha trails Western Illinois 4-2.
ON AIR
Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
UP NEXT
Omaha will play its second straight conference road game on Thursday, Jan. 8 against the University of Denver. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. (CT) at Magness Arena in Denver, Colo.
The Mavericks will return home for a two-game home stand against IUPUI and North Dakota State on Jan. 17 and Jan. 22.
