ISERNIA, Italy – The Omaha men's basketball team picked up the biggest victory so far on its tour of Italy Thursday night, defeating Isernia 107-31 at Palazzetto Dello Sport.
Six Mavericks scored in double figures for the night, led by 14 points from freshman guard JT Gibson. Junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins and sophomore forward Daniel Meyer both added 13 points, while senior guard Devin Patterson and senior guard/forward Randy Reed II each had 11. Senior forward Jake White rounded it out with another 10 points.
Freshman guard Zach Jackson closed the evening with eight points, and freshman center Zach Pirog scored six. Five apiece came from senior guard Tim Smallwood and sophomore guard Devin Newsome. Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman chipped in four more, followed by sophomore guard Alex Allbery with three. Senior guard Kyler Erickson and freshman forward Ben Kositzke each had two.
"Even with the lopsided score tonight, I felt we stayed locked in defensively," head coach Derrin Hansen said. "We disrupted them, which led to some transition baskets. Executing on the half court offensively was OK, and it will be a focal point for us upon our return home."
Omaha dominated from the start with a 30-7 lead after the first 10 minutes of play, propelled by six early points from both Hollins and Jackson. A 12-0 run in the middle of the second quarter then brought the halftime tally to 60-18.
The Mavericks were unstoppable in the third quarter, outscoring Isernia 30-0 to build a 90-18 advantage. Reed went on a 7-0 run by himself to end the third quarter and start the fourth, though UNO cooled slightly thereafter as Isernia rallied for a 13-2 run midway through the last stanza. The Mavericks, however, capped the game on a 14-0 unanswered scoring stretch, punctuating the game with consecutive 3-pointers from Gibson, Smallwood and Newsome for a final score of 107-31.
"We're looking forward to our last game as well as visiting the Vatican tomorrow," Hansen said. "This has been a very beneficial trip, and it's something we'll never forget."
Omaha plays its last game in Italy on Friday, Aug. 21, visiting Luiss University at PalaLUISS in Rome 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.
