OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha Mavericks outscored North Dakota State 27-11 in the third quarter to power past the Bison Wednesday night inside Baxter Arena, registering a 77-52 victory.
Junior Mikaela Shaw paced the home team with her fifth double-double of the season, stuffing the stat sheet with 19 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a blocked shot. Shaw was joined in double-figures by sophomore Remy Davenport's game high 23 points and five rebounds and senior Bobbi Beckwith's 11 points and six rebounds in her first start of the season, tying her personal high in points and rebounds. Amber Vidal chipped in nine points and four assists, while Vanessa Barajas had seven points and five boards.
The Mavericks move to 8-5 on the season and 1-0 in Summit League play with the win, while NDSU falls to 5-9 overall and 0-1 in league play. Marena Whittle led the visiting team in the defeat with a double-double of 19 points and 15 rebounds.
Omaha sprinted out to an early 11-7 advantage as Beckwith, Davenport, and Shaw combined to score all 11 of Omaha's first points, but two straight NDSU buckets cut the lead to 15-14 with under a minute left in the first quarter. A pair of buckets from Whittle and Brianna Jones gave the Bison an 18-17 lead heading to the second period.
In what was a back-and-forth battle the rest of the half, Davenport carried the team by netting nine points in the second quarter alone to cut the NDSU lead to one point at the break, 34-33. Vidal added four points, two assists and two steals in the period. The Mavericks stingy defense held the Bison's offense in check during the first half of play as they shot just 13-of-37 (35.1 percent) from the field, compared to Omaha's 12-of-33 (36.4 percent) shooting performance.
Coming out of the break, a quick 20-1 run by UNO, again sparked by Davenport and Shaw, pushed the Mavericks' lead to 53-35 midway through the third quarter. Davenport went for 11 points in the period on 3-of-6 shooting, including three 3-pointers. Shaw added six points and four boards. Omaha continued to roll the rest of the quarter, answering each North Dakota State score with points of its own to extend the lead to 60-45 by period's end.
The fourth quarter saw Omaha build on its insurmountable lead, capping the win with a 17-7 fourth quarter showing. Once again, Shaw led the way for the Mavericks in the quarter with six points and five boards. Barajas added four points, two boards, and a blocked shot. UNO's tenacity on the boards led to a 17-6 advantage in the period and eight second chance points. NDSU shot 6-of-27 (22.2 percent) from the floor and 4-of-13 from 3-point range (30.8 percent) in the second half. The Mavericks were 17-of-36 (47.2 percent) from the floor and 3-of-9 (33.3 percent) from long range in the half.
Omaha will return to action at Baxter Arena Sunday afternoon, hosting Western Illinois at 1 p.m.
