TULSA, Okla. – The Omaha women's basketball team dropped a tough Summit League contest at Oral Roberts on Thursday evening, 67-58. The Mavericks are now 13-14 overall and 6-9 in Summit League play. The Golden Eagles improved to 13-15 overall and 10-6 in league play.
Caroline Hogue had a game-high 25 points and blocked six shots. Hogue also grabbed a team-best seven rebounds. Mikaela Shaw had 13 points, three assists, and two boards. Remy Davenport added 12 points and four assists.
Faith Ihim led Oral Roberts with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Maria Martinez had 14 points and seven boards. Kaylan Mayberry chipped in 13 points.
Oral Roberts jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the opening four minutes to put Omaha in a hole early on. Mikaela Shaw got the Mavericks on the board with her only 3-pointer of the game. ORU increased its lead to 16-3 with 4:25 left in the first quarter. Omaha ended the period on a 10-4 run, but trailed 20-13 heading into the second quarter.
The Mavericks struggles from the floor continued into the second quarter as Oral Roberts kept a double digit lead. Late in the quarter, Omaha outscored the home team 10-1 over a 3:12 span and cut the lead to four, 31-27. During the run, Hogue scored seven straight points for the Mavs. A layup from Oral Roberts' Blair Bryce made the halftime score, 33-27.
The Golden Eagles pushed their lead back to double figures early in the second half, before Hogue scored seven straight Maverick points. Omaha trailed by four after a Shaw layup with 6:40 remaining in the third quarter, 41-37. Ellie Brecht hit a 3-pointer following an ORU score to help Omaha inch closer, 43-40. The Golden Eagles outscored UNO 8-2 to end the quarter with a 51-42 lead.
Omaha held Oral Roberts scoreless for a three minute span of the fourth quarter as it whittled the lead down to four. Shaw started the come back with a layup, then Hogue made 1-of-2 free throws. Abi Lujan capped the 5-0 run with a bucket with 3:01 remaining in the game as Omaha pulled within four, 56-52. ORU was able to withstand the comeback attempt and pushed its lead back to seven on two made free throws by Mayberry with 47 seconds left in regulation. Hogue scored a pair of baskets in the final 35 seconds of the game for the Mavs, but it was not enough as ORU came away with the win.
The Mavericks shot 39 percent on the evening (23-of-59), while the Golden Eagles shot 38.6 percent (22-of-57). Omaha shot slightly better from 3-point range than Oral Roberts, 27.8 percent compared to 21.4 percent. ORU shot 76.9 percent (20-of-26) from the free throw line compared to 70 percent (7-of-10) for UNO. The Golden Eagles also won the battle of the boards 46-28.
Omaha wraps up regular season play at Denver on Saturday, Feb. 27. Tipoff from Magness Arena is set for 2 p.m. (CT). The Mavericks have qualified for the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota starting March 5.
