SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Omaha women's basketball team was unable to recover from an early deficit Monday, falling to second seed South Dakota State, 76-60, in The Summit League Semifinals at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
The Mavericks closed the Summit League Tournament with a 15-15 record, while the Jackrabbits improved to 25-6 overall and advance to Tuesday's championship game against South Dakota.
Caroline Hogue and Ellie Brecht led Omaha in scoring, each finishing with 17 points. Hogue grabbed a team-best seven rebounds and blocked two shots while Brecht had five rebounds and two assists. Mikaela Shaw added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
South Dakota State saw four players finish in double figures as Madison Guebert had a game-high 18 points. Clarissa Ober and Macy Miller each had 17 points. Kerri Young added 11.
The Mavericks were in action just 24 hours after winning their first Division I postseason game, a 62-51 win over IUPUI on Sunday.
The Jackrabbits shot 43.5 percent (30-of-69) from the field, making 11 three-pointers. The Mavericks were 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the floor. Omaha made 84.6 percent (11-of-13) of its free throws compared to only 33.3 percent (5-of-15) by SDSU,
South Dakota State jumped out to a 17-2 lead in the first quarter before Brecht hit a 3-pointer at the 4:23 mark. She got the Mavericks into double digits with another three with 1:42 left in the quarter. SDSU led at the end of the first, 31-12.
The Mavericks went on a 10-2 run during the opening five minutes of the second quarter. Brecht started the run with her third 3-pointer of the game. Marissa Preston cut the SDSU lead to 13 with Omaha's second three of the period. Remy Davenport hit a pair of free throws to get the Mavericks within 11 points with 5:06 left in the quarter. SDSU closed the half on an 8-2 run to make the score 41-24.
South Dakota State pushed its lead to 20 points twice early in the third quarter, but each time Omaha was able to hit shots to keep the game within reach. Amber Vidal's 3-pointer with 5:22 left in the period cut the lead to 17, 48-31. The Jackrabbits pushed their lead to 26 points with a 9-0 run over a 2:35 span. Shaw scored the final five points of the third to make it 57-36.
Omaha opened the fourth quarter with three quick points from Hogue to get within 18 at 57-39. South Dakota State was able to push its lead to 25 points with 7:51 remaining. The Mavericks slowly chipped away at the lead, bringing it under 20 on a Hogue layup. Omaha hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes to make the final 76-60.
Omaha returns four starters for the 2016-17 season.
