Box Score OMAHA, Neb. -- The Omaha men's basketball team started the second half of league play with a bang Saturday night, recording a 96-83 win over South Dakota at Baxter Arena. With the win, the Mavericks improve to 15-8 (7-2 Summit League), while the Coyotes drop to 10-13 (2-7 Summit League).

Senior guard Devin Patterson registered a game-leading 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting and a 7-of-7 effort at the free throw line. The Portsmouth, Va., native added four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Senior forward Jake White joined Patterson as a 20-point scorer, finishing with 24 points, seven boards, a block and an assist. White was 12-of-15 at the line.

Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman tallied his fifth double-double of the season on 12 points and a game-best 10 rebounds, also adding a game-high three blocks, a steal and a helper. Senior guard Tim Smallwood was the Mavericks' fourth double-figure scorer, totaling 12 points with a 4-of-6 effort from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

As a team, Omaha shot 50 percent (31-of-62) from the floor, 40 percent (6-of-15) from long range and 88 percent (28-of-32) at the charity stripe. South Dakota was 44 percent (30-of-69) from the field, 13 percent (2-of-15) behind the arc and 78 percent (21-of-27) at the line. The Mavericks outrebounded USD 38-35 and finished with a 9-2 edge in blocked shots.

South Dakota was led by 14 points in reserve from both Tyler Flack and Shy McClelland. Eric Robertson and D.J. Davis each had 12 more, and Tre Burnette chipped in eight points and a game-high-tying 10 rebounds.

Eight ties in the first 15 minutes brought the game to a 30-30 stall before South Dakota shot ahead by six, 39-33, with 2:07 to go. The Mavericks rallied with three-point plays from White and Patterson, knotting it again at 39-39. After a Flack jumper put USD on top, two Patterson free throws and another three-point play by White gave Omaha a 44-41 lead by the half.

The Mavericks upped their shooting percentage to 56 percent (14-of-25) in the final 20 minutes, helped by White, who went 3-of-3 from the field while hitting 8-of-10 at the line for 14 second-half points. A 12-0 run from 13:36 to 12:01 ended with senior guard/forward Randy Reed II hammering in a putback dunk and junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins nailing a 3-pointer to make it 69-56.

UNO took its largest lead of the night with 5:11 left, as a pair of foul shots by White extended it to 91-71. South Dakota never got it under a 13-point deficit, and Omaha went on to claim its 96-83 victory.

Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 3, traveling to Western Illinois. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Western Hall, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Gary Sharp will also have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and fans can stream the audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “1620 The Zone.” Links to ­stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.