LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The Omaha men's basketball team kicked off its trip to Las Vegas Monday afternoon, picking up an 80-68 win over Eastern Illinois in the Global Sports Classic at Cox Pavilion. With the win, the Mavericks improve to 7-6 (0-0 Summit League), while the Panthers drop to 2-8 (0-0 Ohio Valley).

Senior forward Jake White led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 at the line. The Chaska, Minn., native added four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.

Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman added 18 points and a team-leading seven rebounds with an assist, a steal and three blocks. Senior guard Devin Patterson also finished in double figures with 15 points, as well as four boards, three assists and a steal.

Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins posted seven points, four rebounds, a season-high 11 assists and four steals.

Omaha shot 53 percent (31-of-58) from the field, 27 percent (4-of-15) 3-point range and 61 percent (14-of-23) at the stripe. Eastern Illinois hit 38 percent (24-of-64) from the floor, 32 percent (10-of-31) behind the arc and 67 percent (10-of-15) at the line. The Panthers held the advantage on the boards, outrebounding Omaha 46-30, while the Mavericks finished ahead in steals (13-4), blocks (5-2) and assists (20-13).

The Mavericks made double the shots of Eastern Illinois in the first half, shooting 51 percent (18-of-35) to the Panthers' 33 percent (9-of-27). UNO also forced 13 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, converting the miscues into 21 points while also outscoring EIU 24-6 in the paint. Behind 12 points from White and another 10 from Patterson, Omaha took a 41-25 lead by the break.

In the second half, UNO built its largest lead of 18 by 13:05. Thurman turned it up over the last stanza, scoring 12 points on flawless 4-of-4 shooting from the floor. Eastern Illinois managed to trim the lead to 72-62 on a three by Demetrius McReynolds at 1:48, but Omaha halted the rally and went on to earn the 80-68 victory.

Omaha returns to action Tuesday, Dec. 22, facing Southern or North Carolina Central at 3:30 p.m. (CT) for the final game of the Global Sports Classic at Cox Pavilion. Gary Sharp will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and a link to live audio will be available on OMavs.com.