OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha women's basketball welcomes Western Illinois to Sapp Fieldhouse for a Summit League game on Sunday, February 8 at 2:00 p.m.
The Teams
Omaha (6-16, 1-9 Summit League) lost to Oral Roberts, 66-52, at Sapp Fieldhouse earlier in the week. Mikaela Shaw had a career high 32 points for the Mavericks.
Western Illinois (15-8, 7-3 Summit League) is on a four game winning streak against Summit League members. The Leathernecks sit in sole possession of second place in the standings following a win at North Dakota State, 66-60.
Scouting the Leathernecks
WIU (15-8, 7-3 Summit League) is riding a four-game Summit League winning streak and sit behind South Dakota in the current standings. The Leathernecks defeated North Dakota State, 66-60, on Friday night in Fargo, North Dakota. The 'necks have also posted home wins against North Dakota State (88-66), IUPUI (73-62), and Fort Wayne (59-55).
On Friday against NDSU, Ashley Luke and Sophie Reichelt each had double-doubles. Luke had 17 points and a game-high 19 rebounds, while Reichelt went for a team-high 18 points and grabbed 11 boards.
Overall, Luke is averaging a double-double this season. She averages 19 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. She has also blocked 27 shots and dished out 56 assists. Tori Niemann averages 11 points and four rebounds per game, while Reichelt added 10.9 points and 6.7 boards per game.
The Leathernecks average 75.3 points per game and grab on average 40.5 rebounds per game.
Western Illinois is led by fourth year head coach, JD Gravina. Gravina has compiled a career record of 169-120 and a record of 55-59 at Western Illinois. He was previously the head coach at Quincy and McPherson before being announced as head coach at Western Illinois in 2012.
Mav Notes
• On Wednesday against Oral Roberts, Mikaela Shaw had a career high 32 points going 10-14 from the field and 12-12 from the charity stripe.
• Senior Taijhe Kelly swatted five shots against ORU which led the team, while Lanese Bough had a team high four assists.
• On Saturday against IUPUI, Shaw led the Mavericks in scoring with a game high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Shaw grabbed four rebounds, dished out three assists and had one steal.
• Remy Davenport added 11 points, all in the second half, on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor. Davenport grabbed two rebounds to go along with a team-high three steals.
• Sami Pawlak had eight points and four rebounds. Vanessa Barajas, in her first collegiate start, blocked three shots.
• Shaw scored 26 points on 11-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-8 from the free throw line against Fort Wayne on Jan. 29. She also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, including three offensive boards. Shaw also had an assist, a blocked shot, and four steals.
• Brianna Bogard finished with nine points and two assists. Kelly scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor. Kelly also grabbed four rebounds, blocked three shots, and had four steals.
• Shaw leads the Mavericks in scoring and rebounding this season. She averages 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
• Bogard is second on the team in scoring. She is averaging 10.2 points per game.
• Bough leads the team in assists (82) and steals (42). She is also second on the team in rebounds (121).
• Shaw has scored in double-digits 13 times this season, which is the most on the team. She has had five double-doubles this season as well.
• Kelly leads the team with 66 blocked shots. She has blocked four or more shots in a game nine times this season.
• Omaha is 1-4 against teams appearing in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25. The Mavs lost to Northern Colorado (RV), North Dakota (RV), South Dakota (RV), and South Dakota State (#14); but defeated #14 Bakersfield, 80-68.
The Series
Sunday's game marks the ninth all-time meeting between the two programs. Western Illinois leads the all-time series 6-2. The Leathernecks defeated the Mavericks 71-56 in Macomb, Ill. on January 4.
On Air
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. Jon Green will have the radio call of the game on 1180 AM “Zone 2”. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Up Next
The Mavericks wrap up the 2014-15 Summit League road portion of the schedule with by visiting South Dakota and North Dakota State next weekend. Omaha will face USD on Thursday, Feb. 12 in Vermillion, South Dakota at 7:00 p.m. UNO travels to Fargo, North Dakota on Saturday, Feb. 14 for a 2:00 p.m. matchup against NDSU.
