OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha women's basketball team wraps up a three-game homestand on Wednesday night as they welcome Midland to Baxter Arena. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and Noah Sullinger and Alex Abler will have the call on MavRadio.fm. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
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.
About Omaha
Omaha has started the season 6-2 and are riding a three-game winning streak entering Wednesday night's contest with Midland. The Mavericks are off to their best start since the 2012-13 season when they began the season 9-2.
Omaha players have been on a torrid pace over the past four games. Junior forward Mikaela Shaw is averaging 19.5 points per game and has had two straight double-doubles against Houston Baptist and Illinois State. Shaw also had a Summit League-best 31 points on Sunday against Eastern Illinois. Sophomore post Vanessa Barajas blocked a program-best nine shots against Illinois State, while freshman post Caroline Hogue swatted five shots against UMKC. Freshman guard Ellie Brecht dropped a career-best 17 points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range against Illinois State. Freshman point guard Amber Vidal went for a career-best 20 points in the Mavericks match-up against UMKC. Junior guard Abi Lujan has grabbed 12 rebounds in each of the previous two games (UMKC and Eastern Illinois).
Heading into Wednesday's game with Midland, the UNO offense is led by Shaw. Shaw leads the team in points, steals, and rebounds. She leads the Summit League with an 18.3 point per game average and is fifth in the league in rebounding with a 7.1 rebound per game average. Shaw also averages 1.9 steals per game and is second on the team in assists averaging 3.4 helpers per game.
Sophomore guard Remy Davenport is second on the team in scoring averaging 8.9 points per game. Davenport leads UNO in 3-pointers (16) and averages two 3-point makes per game. Vidal is third on the team in scoring with 8.1 points per game. She also leads the team with 3.5 assists per game. Freshman guard Ellie Brecht averages 6.7 points per game, fourth on the team, and is second on the team in 3-point makes (14).
The Mavericks are one of the top defensive teams in the Summit League. Omaha is limiting the opponents to only 54.8 points per game, which leads the league. They limit the opposition to a field goal percentage of 34.7 percent (167-481), also a tops in the league, and 24.8 percent (30-121) from 3-point range (second in the league). As a team, they also lead the league with 5.8 blocked shots per game.
Behind the Numbers
133 – Number of points needed by Mikaela Shaw to reach 1,000 career points.
13 – Number of rebounds needed by Shaw to reach 500 career boards.
46 – Blocked shots this season by Omaha.
31 – Total points scored by Shaw on Sunday afternoon.
15 – Total number of blocked shots against Illinois State. This set a school record and is tops in the league this season.
12 – Rebounds grabbed against UMKC and Eastern Illinois by Abi Lujan.
20 – Points scored by Amber Vidal against UMKC for a career-high.
10 and 5 – Points and blocked shots by Caroline Hogue against UMKC both career highs.
7 – Number of new players this season to see playing time against Eastern Illinois.
3 – Number of double-doubles this season by Shaw.
Watching the Warriors
- Midland upset #RV Northwestern (IA) Saturday afternoon, 55-45.
- MU was picked to finish 11th in the Great Plains Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, but they currently are in fourth place in the conference standings.
- Sammi Licari scored a game-high 21 points against Northwestern on 6-of-16 shooting from the field and a 6-for-6 effort from the free throw line. Licari also grabbed six boards.
- Joelle Overkamp had six steals to go along with 11 points, four assists, and six rebounds on Saturday.
- Megan Kucks and Miranda Paul each played 40 minutes on Saturday.
Minding Midland
Midland is currently on a two-game winning streak, including a 55-45 win at #RV Northwestern (IA) on Saturday. The Warriors are now 6-4 overall and 4-1 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. MU plays in the Great Plains Athletic Conference and a member of the NAIA.
Midland was picked to finish 11th in the GPAC Preseason Coaches' poll prior to the season. Last season, MU finished 11-19 overall and 5-15 in conference play. The Warriors are led by Shawn Gilbert who is in his third season. Gilbert previously coached at Mount Mercy College (IA) and was an administrative assistant and video coordinator for the Nebraska Women's Basketball team.
The Warriors are led in scoring by guard Joelle Overkamp. Overkamp averages 16.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game this season. She has went for more than 20 points four times this season, including a season best 32 points against Baker on Nov. 6. Guard Megan Kucks is right behind Overkamp averaging 15.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Midland has used the same starting line-up all ten games this season. The Warriors are averaging 66 points per game, while allowing 67 per game. MU shoots 38.6 percent (218-565) from the field, including a 32.4 percent (68-210) from long range.
Series History
Wednesday's contest with Midland will be the 31st all-time meeting between the two schools. Omaha leads the all-time series that dates back to the 1972-73 season, 17-13.
The last meeting between the two programs came on Nov. 23, 2001 at Sapp Fieldhouse. The Mavericks defeated the Warriors, 99-62.
Newcomers Making Noise
This season, the Mavericks regular rotation features four freshmen and seven underclassmen, with underclassmen accounting for 839 minutes (52.4%), 519 points (49.3%), 287 rebounds (48.1%), 59 assists (55.1 %), 34 steals (51.5%), and 24 blocks (52.2%). Among the group, freshmen make up 525 minutes (32.8%), 188 points (36.2%), 81 rebounds (28.2%), 39 assists (36.4%), 16 steals (24.2%), and 22 blocks (47.8%).
Block Party
Omaha has set the program record in blocked shots this season. The Mavericks blocked 11 shots against Waldorf on Nov. 24. Less than a week later, UNO swatted a team record 15 shots against Illinois State at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic in San Antonio, Texas. The block totals are the top two team performances in the Summit League this season.
So far this season, the Mavericks have blocked at least four shots in six of their eight games. They total 46 blocks on the year so far, which leads the Summit League.
Blocking the Summit
Caroline Hogue and Vanessa Barajas rank number one and two in blocked shots in the latest Summit League rankings. Hogue averages 2.4 blocks per game, while Barajas is second at 2.1 blocks per game.
Against Southern Illinois, Barajas set a single-game team record with nine blocked shots. Her nine blocks are the most in the Summit League this season. Hogue set a career-high with five blocked shots against Eastern Illinois on Sunday.
Up Next
The Mavericks hit the road for their lone road game in the month of December. UNO travels to Edwardsville, Ill. to face SIU-E on Sunday, Dec. 13. Tip-off from the Vadalabene Center is set for 2 p.m.
Fans can stream the audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “1620 The Zone,” and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Home Cookin'
The Omaha women's basketball team is a perfect 4-0 at their new home this year, Baxter Arena. In those games, UNO has outscored its opponents by 104 points, 305-201.
At home, the Mavericks shoot 44.8 percent (116-259) and hold their opponents to 29.8 percent (73-245). Omaha also has the home court advantage in 3-point shooting as they hit 43.8 percent (39-89) percent from distance compared to the oppositions 30.2 percent (19-63). They also have blocked 45 shots at home.
Vidal Breaks Out
Freshman Amber Vidal had a career night against UMKC leading the Mavericks with 20 points. The guard had 16 crucial points combined in the second and third quarters as the Mavericks pulled away from the Kangaroos in the second half. She followed that performance up with 11 points on Sunday against Eastern Illinois. Vidal has been in double digit points three times this season.
Newcomer on the Block
Caroline Hogue set a career-best in blocked shots against UMKC on Thursday night with five. The freshman post player has recorded at least one blocked shot in seven of her first eight collegiate games. Hogue leads Summit League lead with 19 blocked shots this season. She also scored 10 points against UMKC on Thursday. It was the first time in her collegiate career that she scored in double-digits.
Davenport from Deep
Remy Davenport's 3-pointer with 8:08 left in Sunday's game against Eastern Illinois pushed the lead to 10 points. Even better, the sophomore sharp-shooter has now hit a try in 27 straight games for the Mavericks dating back to Dec. 14, 2014. Davenport now has 78 career 3-pointers, which ranks her 13th on the all-time charts through 36 games. Jennifer Mitchell, a Maverick from 1998-2002, tops the all-time list with 214 career makes.
