VERMILLION, South Dakota – The Omaha women's basketball team fell to South Dakota, 82-76, on Saturday afternoon at the Dakota Dome in Vermillion. The Mavericks are now 9-7 overall and 2-2 in Summit League action, while the Coyotes improved to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Omaha was led by freshman Caroline Hogue who scored a career-high 25 points on 8-of-18 shooting. Mikaela Shaw also added 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Remy Davenport chipped in 12 points and blocked three shots.
Both teams shot over 40 percent for the game. The Coyotes shot 50 percent in the first half (16-of-32) and nearly equaled that mark by shooting 47.2 percent (17-of-36) in the second half. The Mavericks struggled in the first half from the floor by shooting only 31.3 percent (10-of-32), but heated up in the second half by shooting 53.1 percent (17-of-32).
It was a see-saw first quarter that saw the Mavericks lead by as many as three. Hogue opened the game with eight quick points as Omaha led South Dakota 10-8 with 7:40 left in the quarter. A pair of Amber Vidal free throws pushed the UNO lead to three points midway through the stanza. South Dakota went on an 8-0 run to take a five point lead with under a minute left in the period, 19-14. The Mavericks answered with an Ellie Brecht 3-pointer and a pair of Kalen Phillips free throws to tie the score at the end of the first quarter, 19-19.
Sara Echelberry put Omaha up two with a layup to start the second quarter, 21-19. The South Dakota offense went on a 22-6 run midway through the second quarter to take a 41-27 lead. A pair of Bobbi Beckwith free throws and a jumper from Hogue in the final minute of the first half cut the Coyote lead to 11 points at the break, 42-31.
Hogue and Davenport each hit buckets to open the second half as Omaha cut the South Dakota lead to single digits, 46-37. USD took advantage of a UNO cold spell to push the lead to 15 points with 3:34 left in the third quarter, 59-44. Shaw would score six points in the final 2:15 of the quarter to help cut the Coyotes' led to six points heading into the final period, 59-53.
Buckets from Shaw and Davenport brought the lead to four points, 61-57, in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. South Dakota showed its experience as it pushed the lead back to nine points with 7:37 left in regulation. Davenport converted an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the lead to five points midway through the fourth quarter, 72-67. USD again answered the UNO challenge as it pushed the lead back to eight points with 2:44 remaining, 74-68. Shaw would again lead the Omaha comeback attempt as she would score six of the Mavericks final eight points. Her final bucket of the game cut the South Dakota lead to four points, 80-76, with six seconds left in regulation. USD would hit a pair of free throws and force a UNO turnover to hold onto an 82-76 win.
The Mavericks return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 13 as they visit IUPUI in the Jungle at 6 p.m. (CT). Links to live stats and video can be found on OMavs.com.
Notes
- Caroline Hogue became the fifth Maverick to score over 20 points in a single game this season. (Davenport, Preston, Shaw, Vidal).
- Hogue's 25 points set a career high for the freshman post player.
- Mikaela Shaw had her fifth game of 20 or more points on Saturday.
- Omaha blocked nine shots against South Dakota, including four by Hogue and three from Remy Davenport. It's the tenth time this season blocking five or more shots in a single game.
- This was the first time this season Omaha had two players score 20-plus points in the same game.
