OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha women's basketball looks to start off Summit League play on the right foot this week with a pair of home games.

The Mavericks host North Dakota State on Wednesday, Dec. 30 for the league opener.  Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from Baxter Arena.  Next up, UNO welcomes Western Illinois to its new home on Sunday, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m.

The Mavericks enter the game with a 7-5 record in non-conference play, while the Bison are 5-8 and the Leathernecks are 7-6 on the year.  Omaha is coming off an eight day layoff since its 74-59 loss to Utah Valley on Dec. 22.  NDSU defeated Cal State Fullerton on Monday in Fargo, 79-64.  Last time out, WIU defeated Illinois State on the road, 79-64.  Western Illinois will host Oral Roberts on New Year's Day before heading to Omaha.

Live Video: A live video stream will be available for all home games.  The link can be found on the women's basketball schedule page on OMavs.com.

Live Radio:  Fans can hear both games locally on 1180 Zone 2 with Jon Green on the call.  Sunday's game will also be broadcast by MavRadio on mavradio.fm.

Live Stats:  Live stats will be available through Stat Broadcast.  The link for Wednesday's game can be found on the women's basketball schedule page on OMavs.com.

Tickets:  Season and single-game tickets may be purchased online through OMavs.com/tix.  Tickets also may be purchased in person at the Sapp Fieldhouse ticket office or by calling (402) 554-MAVS.

Follow the Mavericks:  Fans can follow the Mavericks all season long on Twitter (@UNOWBB), Facebook (/UNOWBB), and Instagram (UNOWBB) for all the latest news, notes, and behind the scenes photos.  Follow @omavs for the latest on all 15 Omaha Athletics programs.

Scouting the Mavericks

UNO finished December with a three-game losing streak with the last two losses on its home court.  The Mavericks dropped a 69-46 decision to Creighton on Dec. 20 before falling 74-59 to Utah Valley on Dec. 22.

Vanessa Barajas, Remy Davenport, Abi Lujan, and Mikaela Shaw have started every game this season for Omaha.  Marissa Preston and Amber Vidal are the other two players who have earned starts this season.

The Mavericks are ranked 13^th nationally in blocked shots with 67 and blocked shots per game with 5.6.

Behind the Numbers

520 – Career rebounds by Mikaela Shaw and 20^th all-time in program history.

56 – Points this season needed by Mikaela Shaw to reach 1,000 career points.

30 – Blocked shots this season by Caroline Hogue most in the Summit League and 18^th nationally.

31 – Points by Mikaela Shaw against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 16.

12 – Total rebounds in a game by Abi Lujan (twice), Caroline Hogue (Waldorf), and Mikaela Shaw (Indiana State).

9 – Vanessa Barajas blocked shots against Illinois State on Nov. 29.

7 – Amber Vidal assists against SIUE (Dec. 13).

5 – Number of three pointers made in a game by Ellie Brecht (Illinois State) and Remy Davenport (Central Florida).

5 – Steals by Kalen Phillips against Waldorf.

4 – Double-doubles this season by Mikaela Shaw, tied for most in the Summit League.

Bison Briefs

North Dakota State is on a three-game winning streak after defeating Cal State Fullerton on Monday, 79-64.  Marena Whittle led had a double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds.  Whittle also dished out eight assists.  Kennedy Childers added 18 points, while Taylor Thunstedt and Brooke Yaggie had 15 and 14 points respectively.  Brianna Jones grabbed nine boards in the win.

The Bison are 5-8 on the season, but are 2-5 away from Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.

Through 13 games, Marena Whittle (17.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game) and Taylor Thunstedt (16.8 points and 3.2 assists per game) lead North Dakota State.  As a team, the Bison are averaging 66.0 points per game but allowing 69.8 points per game.  Through 13 contests, NDSU is outrebounding its adversaries, 38.2 to 33.4.  The Bison have turned the ball over an average of 18.4 times per game, compared to 13.8 miscues for their opponents.

Omaha-North Dakota State Series History

The Mavericks trail the all-time series, 43-13.  Omaha has won three of the last four meetings and four of the last six since transitioning to NCAA Division I.

Last season, the two programs split the league match-ups with each winning on the other's home court.  NDSU defeated Omaha 77-60 at Sapp Field House on Jan. 22.  UNO topped the Bison 73-65 at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse on Feb. 14.

Looking at the Leathernecks

Western Illinois snapped a three-game losing streak with a 79-64 win at Illinois State on Monday evening.  The Leathernecks had four players in double-digit scoring led by Emily Clemens' game-high 22 points.  Clemens also grabbed seven boards.  Mallory Boyle added 15 points, while Michelle Maher and Sophie Reichelt each had 14 points.  Boyle grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, while Maher dished out a game-high five assists.

WIU is 7-6 overall, but are 3-4 away from Macomb.

The Leathernecks are led by a pair of veteran seniors in Michelle Maher and Sophie Reichelt. Reichelt currently leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.2 and 7.3 rebounds per game while Maher is third on the team in scoring (13.1). Maher also runs the offense, as her 60 assists are tops for the Leathernecks. The duo have combined to tally 355 points this year, a number which accounts for 34.5 percent of Western's scoring.

The Leathernecks are one of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the country, as the team ranks first nationally in 3-point field goals made (143) and in 3-point field goals attempted (430), and per game (11.1). Michelle Farrow, Taylor McClintock, and Taylor Higginbotham all have made over 20 trey's this season with Higginbotham leading the way with 23.

Omaha-Western Illinois Series History

The Mavericks trail the all-time series, 5-3.  Last season, the two programs split the league match-ups with each winning on their home court.  Western Illinois defeated Omaha 71-56 in Macomb last season, while the Mavericks topped the Leathernecks 54-51 at Sapp Fieldhouse.

Fantastic Fresh Faces

This season, the Mavericks roster features five freshmen and eight underclassmen.  The freshmen are Ellie Brecht, Sara Echelberry, Caroline Hogue, and Amber Vidal.  Joining them are underclassmen Vanessa Barajas, Remy Davenport, and Marissa Preston.

During the non-conference part of the season, the group combined to play in 87 games with 36 starts.  The freshmen alone combined to play in 51 games with nine starts.  All told, the underclassmen totaled 1,548 minutes (63.8%), 481 points (62.6%), 206 rebounds (46.7%), 99 assists (60.0%), 61 blocks (91.0%), and 38 steals (50.0%).

The freshmen have played in 799 minutes (32.9%) and scored 289 points (37.6%).  They have also grabbed 126 boards (28.6%), dished out 59 assists (35.8%), blocked 35 shots (52.2%) and have made 22 steals (28.9%).

Up Next

The Omaha women's basketball team embarks on its most difficult road trip to date when it travels to the state of South Dakota for a pair of games.

The Mavericks head to Brookings, South Dakota for a Thursday, Jan. 7 meeting with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.  Tip-off from Frost Arena is set for 7 p.m.  They then head to Vermillion, South Dakota where they will take on the University of South Dakota on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 1:30 p.m.  The game against USD will be televised on MidcoSN/ESPN3.

Links to radio, live stats, and video will be available on OMavs.com.

NCAA Stat Rankings – Team

• Omaha ranks 15^th nationally in blocked shots (67) and 24^th nationally in black shots per game (5.6).  Morehead State is the national leader with 106 blocks, while Oregon State leads the nation with 7.7 blocks per game.
• UNO is ranked 45^th nationally in fewest turnovers per game (14.0).  Villanova commits the fewest turnovers per game (7.5).

NCAA Stat Rankings – Individual

• Caroline Hogue is in the Top 20 nationally in blocked shots.  The freshman center is 18^th in the nation with 30 blocks this year.  Jasmine Joyner of Chattanooga leads the way with 52 swats on the year.
• Hogue is also ranked 27^th in blocks per game with 2.5.  Josie Stockill of Colgate leads the nation with 4.55 blocks per game.
• Mikaela Shaw ranks 36^th nationally in field goals made (85) with Kelsey Plum of Washington topping the category with 112.

Noteworthy Performances – Individual

• Mikaela Shaw had her third 20-point night of the season against Utah Valley on Dec. 22.
• Caroline Hogue set a career best with 16 points on Sunday, Dec. 20 against Creighton.  Hogue also drained a career best three 3-pointers while grabbing six rebounds.
• Shaw scored a season high 31 points against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 6.  She was 13-of-21 from the field.
• Shaw has had four double-doubles this season (Indiana State, Houston Baptist, Illinois State, and SIUE).
• Amber Vidal went for a career-best 20 points on Dec. 3 against UMKC.
• Abi Lujan grabbed 12 rebounds in two straight games to start December.  The junior pulled down 12 boards against UMKC on Dec. 3 and followed that up with 12 more against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 6.
• Vanessa Barajas blocked nine shots against Illinois State on Nov. 29 to set a program record.
• Hogue set a career-record in rebounds against Waldorf (12) and blocks against Eastern Illinois (5).
• Ellie Brecht went for 17 points against Illinois State on Nov. 29.  Brecht was 5-of-7 from beyond the 3-point line and also pulled down a career best seven rebounds.

Noteworthy Performances – Team

• Omaha set a program record with 39 3-point attempts in the season opener against Central Florida.  The Mavericks connected on 10 of those attempts.
• UNO went for 95 points against Waldorf in late November.  Omaha shot 53.9 percent (41-76) from the floor.
• The Mavericks set a program record with 15 blocked shots against Illinois State on Nov. 29.
• Omaha had a season low four turnovers against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 6.
• The Mavericks played their first overtime game of the season against SIUE on Dec. 13.
• UNO shot 53.4 percent from the field (31-58) against SIUE.