VARESE, Italy -- The Omaha men's basketball team opened the competitive portion of its tour of Italy on Friday afternoon, defeating All Star Varese 85-43 at Palazzetto Dello Sport.
The Mavericks were led by a trio of double-figure scorers in senior forward Jake White (14 points), junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins (11) and senior guard/forward Randy Reed II (10). Hollins tallied nine of his points in the first two 10-minute quarters alone, while White combined for eight over the third and fourth stanzas.
Senior Devin Patterson, sophomore forward Daniel Meyer and freshman guard JT Gibson added nine points apiece, with Gibson knocking in a pair of threes for the day. Senior guard Tim Smallwood and sophomore guard Devin Newsome each accounted for six points, while freshman center Zach Pirog had four. Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman and freshman guard Zach Jackson rounded out the balanced scoring effort with two points apiece.
After the first quarter, Omaha held a 23-8 lead, which was stretched to 44-24 over ASV by halftime. At the third-quarter break, the Mavericks were up 63-35, and a 21-point run in the fourth quarter helped put the game away en route to the 83-43 victory.
Reed, who had a pair of standout dunks during the contest, was named the game's most valuable player by All Star Varese at the conclusion.
Omaha continues its tour of Italy with one more day of sightseeing in Milan before a two-day jaunt to Florence, followed by a trip to Rome. The Mavericks resume game play on Wednesday, Aug. 19, visiting Stella Azzura at Noon CT.
To follow the team's adventures abroad, read the blog on OMavs.com, follow Omaha Men's Basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The official team accounts and student-athletes will use #euromavs to hashtag their posts.
