OMAHA, Neb. – Amber Vidal scored 20 points as one of three Mavericks in double figures in a 57-42 win against UMKC. Omaha shot 45.5 percent for the game as it moved to 5-2 on the season, UMKC was held to 30.8 percent shooting as it dropped to 0-6 overall. The win at Baxter Arena was also the third straight home victory for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks shot 36.7 percent (11-30) in the first half, and 56 percent (14-25) in the second. The Kangaroos were limited to 28 percent (7-25) in the first half, and 33.3 percent (9-27) in the second. Omaha won the battle of the boards 39-24.
Vidal shot 8-for-14 from the field, including a 2-for-6 clip from 3-point distance. She scored 16 points combined in the second and third quarters.
Mikaela Shaw was limited to 11 points and four rebounds on Thursday evening. Shaw was 5-for-10 from the field and 1-of-2 from the free throw line. Caroline Hogue added 10 points and eight rebounds, just missing her first career double-double. Hogue also tallied five blocked shots. Abi Lujan grabbed a game high 12 rebounds to go along with two points.
UMKC was led by Aries Washington with 11 points and five rebounds. Samantha Waldron added nine points and three assists. Kristen Moore chipped in eight points.
The Kangaroos held a 9-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. Omaha turned the ball over four times and was only 25 percent from the field (4-16). Shaw gave UNO the early lead on a fast break lay-up. UMKC scored the next seven points on a pair of Waldron 3-pointers and a free throw make by Washington. Following Shaw's second bucket of the quarter, UMKC extended the lead back to five points, 9-4, with 4:09 remaining in the stanza. Hogue and Marissa Preston each scored as the quarter came to an end to draw the Mavericks within one, 9-8.
Vidal scored Omaha's first seven points of the second quarter as UNO took the lead with 7:02 left in the second quarter, 15-11. Hogue would score the next three buckets as Omaha maintained its four point lead, 21-17. The Mavericks pushed their lead to seven, 24-17, with 1:22 left in the half on a made free throw from Vidal. UMKC's Washington drained a jumper with two seconds left on the clock to cut the UNO lead to five at the break, 24-19.
Omaha hit its first three shots out of the break to push the lead to eight points. Vidal would score on a fast break layup with 6:06 left in the quarter to give the Mavs their largest lead of the game, 34-23. UMKC used a 3-pointer from Kelsey Barrett and two jumpers from Paige Husa to cut the lead to five, 40-35, with under a minute remaining. Shaw pushed the Omaha lead back to seven with a jumper to end the quarter, 42-35.
A pair of field goals from Hogue and Vidal, coupled with a 3-pointer from Ellie Brecht, helped Omaha to push its lead to 14, 49-35, early in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks would maintain their double-digit lead the remainder of the game. Remy Davenport scored her only points of the game on a 3-pointer with 2:46 left in the game to give Omaha its largest lead of the game at 15 points, 56-41. The two teams exchanged free throws in the final 90 seconds to make the final score 57-42.
Omaha returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 6 against Eastern Illinois. Tipoff from Baxter Arena is set for 2 p.m.
Game Notes
- Amber Vidal scored a career best 20 points on the evening.
- Omaha has blocked at least four shots in each of the last four games.
- Caroline Hogue had a career best 10 points and five blocked shots.
- Mikaela Shaw has scored in double-digits in every game this season.
- Abi Lujan grabbed a career best 12 rebounds. Lujan joins Hogue and Shaw with the most rebounds in a game this season.
