This Week
The Omaha women's basketball team welcomes South Dakota this Saturday, Jan. 14, with tipoff set for 2 p.m. at Baxter Arena. Donny Baarns will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and fans can stream audio on their smartphones by downloading NRG Media's app “1620 The Zone.” Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Maverick Quick Hits
• Two Omaha starters average double-digit scoring: senior forward Mikaela Shaw (15.8) and senior guard Michaela Dapprich (11.9).
• Shaw became the seventh player in school history to reach the 1,500 points and 800 rebounds milestone.
• Three of Omaha starter's average double-figure scoring in Summit League play: Dapprich (19.0), Shaw (17.5) and junior guard Remy Davenport (11.5).
• The Mavericks are 8-9 overall (1-3 Summit League) after falling 78-74 Western Illinois last Wednesday.
• The Mavericks finished 7-6 in non-conference play, marking their second straight season finishing .500 or better against non-conference opponents.
• Omaha played eight non-conference road games and one neutral-site game to start the 2016-17 season, including games against Abilene Christian, Colorado State, Creighton, North Texas, Nebraska and UCF.
• Shaw made her 103rd consecutive appearance and reached double-figure in scoring for the 48th straight game against Western Illinois.
• Senior guard Abi Lujan made her first start of the season Jan. 5 against IUPUI.
• Head coach Brittany Lange has used two different lineups through the first 16 games this season.
• Shaw earned her first Summit League Player of the Week award of the season on Dec. 19.
• Twelve different Omaha players have had at least one 3-pointer this season. As a team, UNO is shooting 37.2 percent (146-of-392) from long-range.
• Nine different Mavericks have scored in double figures over the first 17 games this year.
• Shaw registered her third consecutive double-double of the season Wednesday evening. It is the fifth time this season accomplishing the feat.
• Sophomore center Courtney Vaccher had a double-double performance on Dec. 10 at UMKC.
• Omaha returns eight letterwinners from its 2015-16 team, including three starters in Mikaela Shaw, senior guard Abi Lujan and junior guard Remy Davenport.
• UNO was selected to finish fifth in the 2016-17 Preseason Summit League Coaches' Poll, and Shaw earned Preseason All-Summit League First Team accolades.
• The Mavericks will play 29 games, including 12 contests at Baxter Arena and one at Sapp Fieldhouse.
Scouting the South Dakota Coyotes
South Dakota is 15-3 (4-1 Summit League) on the year after a 69-47 win over Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Okla. The Coyotes are the reigning WNIT champions and currently rank No. 4 in the College Insider Mid-Major poll.
Allison Arena ranks 18th in the nation for points (20.0 ppg) and third for free throws (104). Jaycee Bradley (14.3 ppg) and Ciara Duffy (11.7 ppg) average in double figures. Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit is in her first season with the Coyotes and has a 203-96 record in 12 seasons overall.
Saturday marks the 75th all-time meeting between Omaha and South Dakota, with the Coyotes leading the all-time series with the Mavericks, 40-34. USD won the last meeting 70-55 in Omaha on Feb. 7, 2016.
Last Time Out: Omaha Falls 78-74 to Western Illinois
Omaha dropped a conference home game last Wednesday night, falling 78-74 to Western Illinois at Baxter Arena.
Michaela Dapprich scored a team-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting with six 3-pointers, adding six rebounds and an assist. Remy Davenport finished with 19 points, eight assists and four rebounds.
Mikaela Shaw added her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds with four assists, and Jay Bridgeman had four points and seven boards.
Emily Clemens led Western Illinois with 23 points, hitting 7-of-14 from the floor. Morgan Blumer finished with 19 points, six boards and two blocked shots. Taylor Higginbotham added 13 points and six boards, and Olivia Braun had 11 points and four blocks.
The Mavericks shot .400 (24-of-60) from the field, while the Leathernecks finished at .435 (27-of-62) from the floor. UNO shot .542 (13-of-24) from long range, while SDSU shot only .200 (5-of-25) from deep. Omaha finished at .684 (13-of-19) from the free throw line, while Western Illinois connected on .864 (19-of-22) from the stripe. The Mavericks had a 43-30 edge in rebounds.
Omaha grabbed a 10-4 lead midway through the first quarter, sparked by a pair of 3-pointers from Dapprich. The Mavericks continued their hot shooting from the outside to close the half as Davenport and Marissa Preston each hit threes to close the quarter with Omaha ahead, 22-12.
The Mavericks hit three 3-pointers to open the second quarter pushing the lead to 13 at 31-18. The lead grew to 15 with 3:16 left in the first half on another trey from Davenport. A quick 6-0 spurt from the Leathernecks cut the lead to 39-30 before a layup from Courtney Vaccher made the score at the half, 41-30.
Four points from Shaw in the opening minute of the second half nudged the Maverick lead back to 13 at 45-32. Omaha kept its double-digit lead until a three-point play by Blumer with 3:55 left in the third quarter cut the lead to nine. The Mavericks answered with a 3-pointer from Davenport as the lead grew back to double figures. Shaw converted a pair of free throws late in the period to make the score 64-51. Western Illinois drew a foul with six seconds left and converted both shots from the stripe to make UNO's lead at the end of the quarter, 64-53.
Two Shaw free throws and a 3-pointer from Dapprich put Omaha out front 69-55 with 8:56 left in the fourth quarter. The Leathernecks held the Mavericks scoreless the next 6:41 as they chipped away at UNO's lead. Dapprich ended the Western Illinois' run and pushed Omaha's lead back to four with 2:06 remaining. The Leathernecks cut the lead to one, 74-73, with 27 seconds remaining thanks to a Blumer 3-pointer. Following two missed free throws by Omaha, Blumer put Western Illinois up one with 12 seconds on the clock. The Leathernecks hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final four seconds for the 78-74 win.
Mavericks Kick Off Annual Summit League Food Fight
The Omaha men's and women's basketball doubleheader this Saturday, Jan. 14 at Baxter Arena has been designated for the Summit League Food Fight Challenge. The women's game against South Dakota tips off at 2 p.m., while the men host Western Illinois at 7 p.m.
Fans may bring a non-perishable food item to each game to receive a free ticket. Cash donations are also accepted, with a $5 donation equaling 13 pounds of food. The Omaha Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will collect all food and cash donations at the Baxter Arena Box Office.
All nine Summit League institutions are competing to raise the most pounds of food to earn the food fight trophy. A $5 cash donation equals 13 pounds of food. The student-led initiative is organized and executed by the Omaha Athletics Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Caring is Sharing
As a team, Omaha averages 17.4 assists per game. Mikaela Shaw averages 4.0 assists per game and has a team-leading 68 assists. Four other Mavericks have 25-or-more assists on the season. Remy Davenport is second on the team with 67 assists, followed by sophomore guard Amber Vidal (53), Michaela Dapprich (36) and Marissa Preston (27).
Points, points, points
The Mavericks have six players averaging 5.0-or-more points this season. Mikaela Shaw and Michaela Dapprich lead the way averaging 15.8 ppg and 12.4 ppg, respectively. Remy Davenport averages 9.4 points per game followed by Courtney Vaccher's 7.3 ppg. Sophomore guard Ellie Brecht (5.3 ppg) and freshman forward Jay Bridgeman (5.1 ppg) round out the scoring.
Ms. 1,500
Mikaela Shaw passed former UNO guard Jennifer Mitchell (1,487 points) to become the seventh player in program history to score 1,500 career points. Shaw recently moved past Jackie Scholten (1983-86) for sixth place with 1, 539 points.
The 800 Club
Mikaela Shaw is in sole possession of seventh place in career rebounds. The senior has 812 boards and needs 50 more to pass Laura Anderson for sixth place. Shaw is also the program's all-time leader in defensive rebounds with 582, surpassing Tanya Hammes' (1999-2002) mark of 502. She needs only 10 offensive boards to set the program record.
Perfection
Courtney Vaccher went 11-of-11 from the field against York and IUPUI and missed only one shot from the floor between Dec. 20 – Jan. 5. The sophomore went 4-of-4 at UCF, 7-of-7 vs. York and 4-of-4 vs. IUPUI. She currently leads the Summit League in field goal percentage (.585).
Consistency
Mikaela Shaw made her 100th consecutive start on New Year's Day and now has 103 starts following her start against SDSU last Saturday. She will tie Jennifer Mitchell's (1998-01) 103 starts on Saturday and is closing in on Lindsey Petersen's all-time mark.
Got a Minute?
This season nine different Mavericks are averaging 10-or-more minutes per game. Mikaela Shaw averages 31.2 minutes per game to lead Omaha. Three other Mavericks – Remy Davenport (30.4 mpg), Amber Vidal (25.9 mpg) and Michaela Dapprich (25.8) – average over 25 minutes per game.
…and Still Counting
Shaw's 16 points on Wednesday evening marked the 48th consecutive game that the senior has scored in double figures. The last time she scored less than 10 points was Feb. 26, 2015 against Fort Wayne.
Dapping
Michaela Dapprich reached double figures for the ninth time this season by scoring 20 points against Western Illinois. Dapprich has scored 20 or more points three times this season. She is 12.4 points per game this season but averages 19.0 points in conference action.
Winning Big
Omaha's eight wins have come by an average margin of 32.6 points this year. The Mavericks have won by 20 twice this season and have beaten the opposition by at least 49 points on two occasions.
UNO's 106 points were the most scored in a single game this season eclipsing the 98 points scored against Lincoln University on Dec. 1, 2016.
Shaw Selected Summit League Player of the Week
Mikaela Shaw was named Summit League Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her performance Dec. 12-18, the conference office announced Monday. Shaw collected her first player of the week selection this season and the second of her career. She led the Mavericks with 22 points and nine rebounds in a 70-50 win over Florida A&M on Sunday. Shaw added five assists and three steals with just one turnover against the Rattlers. The senior shot 61.5 (8-of-13) from the field and had a 5.0 assist/turnover ratio.
Tough Enough
Five teams on Omaha's non-conference schedule appeared in the postseason last year – Abilene Christian, Colorado State, Creighton, Kansas State and Nebraska. Abilene Christian and Colorado State won conference titles and had a combined record of 57-6 last year. CSU won the Mountain West and played in the NCAA National Tournament, while ACU won the Southland Conference regular-season title and appeared in the WNIT. Kansas State finished the 2015-16 season 19-13 overall and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Creighton and Nebraska also earned berths in the WNIT.
In the Summit
Omaha is one of the strongest defensive teams in the Summit League, holding the opposition to the conference's lowest shooting percentage (.380) and allowing only 62.6 points per game.
UNO is second in rebound margin (+5.6), field goal pct. (.445), 3-pointers attempted per game (23.1), defensive rebounds per game (27.2) and opponent's 3-point pct. (.301).
Mikaela Shaw leads the league in total defensive rebounds with 108, rebounds per game (8.5) and total rebounds (145). She is third in field goals (104-of-215) and assists (68). Additionally, Courtney Vaccher leads the league with a .586 field goal percentage.
Leading the Way
Mikaela Shaw leads the Mavericks in points, rebounds, assists (4.0), blocked shots (0.6) and minutes played per game. Shaw collected her 26th career double-double against Western Illinois. She scored a season-high 24 points against IUPUI and grabbed a season-best 14 boards against Indiana State.
Since the transition to NCAA Division I, only Shaw and Paige Frauendorfer have over 10 double-doubles. Frauendorfer accomplished the task 17 times in two seasons at the Division I level.
In the Paint
Courtney Vaccher tallied her first career double-double against UMKC. The sophomore post set career highs in points (17) and rebounds (11). This season, Vaccher is averaging 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Remy of All Trades
This season Remy Davenport is doing a little bit of everything for the Mavericks. The Blue Springs, Mo., native is averaging 9.4 points, 3.9 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. Davenport set a career record with eight assists against Western Illinois last Wednesday. She scored a season-high 21 points against UMKC.
Bridge Work
Jay Bridgeman is shooting .689 (31-of-45) this season. She has scored in double figures three times this season. Bridgeman had double-digit games against Creighton (11), York (11) and Lincoln University (11).
Br3cht from Deep
Ellie Brecht scored a career-best 22 points against Lincoln University. The sophomore guard went 8-of-13 from the field including a 6-of-10 effort from 3-point distance. Brecht added two more treys against Kansas State. She is now 18th all-time in made treys with 68 and needs two more to move past Ashley Freerksen (2005-06) into 17th place.
Arc Madness
Omaha has made 146 3-pointers through 17 games while shooting .372 percent from deep. Every player on the roster has connected on at least one trifecta. UNO has made 10 or more threes eight times this season.
Super Sub
Marissa Preston has appeared in every game averaging 17.2 minutes per game. Preston is shooting .500 percent (28-of-56) from the field and .487 percent (19-of-39) from beyond the 3-point arc.
Davenport from Downtown
Remy Davenport the Mavericks with 38 3-pointers this season and has connected from deep in 15 games this season.
The junior guard now ranks fourth in program history with 165 career treys. She needs 50 more treys to become the program's all-time leader. She connected on 65 3-pointers and set the UNO single-game record with 10 made treys against Denver on Jan. 17, 2016.
At a Glance: 2015-16
Omaha finished the 2015-16 season with a record of 15-15 (7-9 Summit League). Mikaela Shaw and former Maverick Caroline Hogue earned All-Summit League recognition, as Shaw garnered First-Team accolades and Hogue earned a spot on the All-Newcomer team.
In its first year after completing its transition to Division I, UNO picked up its first Summit League Tournament victory, defeating third-seeded IUPUI, 62-51.
As a team, Omaha led the Summit League with 5.8 blocks per game last year. The Mavericks were also first in free throw percentage (72.2) and second in opponents' field-goal percentage (38.5).
Meeting the Mavs
UNO returns three starters from the 2015-16 squad, including the Summit League's leading scorer and a First-Team All-Summit selection in senior forward Mikaela Shaw (18.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists), as well as senior guard Abi Lujan, and junior guard Remy Davenport (10.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg).
Returning are sophomore guards Ellie Brecht (5.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg), Sara Echelberry (1.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg), Kalen Phillips (2.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg) and Amber Vidal (5.9 ppg, 2.6 apg). Marissa Preston appeared in 30 games with three starts and averaged 2.7 points per game last season.
Leader of the Pack
Last season, Mikaela Shaw led the Mavericks in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals (1.6 spg). Shaw earned First Team All-Summit League honors and was a Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-American.
She became the 18th player in program history to score 1,000 career points and grab 500 career rebounds.
Dapprich Ready to Debut
Michaela Dapprich is making the most of her senior season for the Mavericks. Before transferring to Omaha last season, Dapprich played a pivotal role as Wichita State won three regular season Missouri Valley Conference Championships, three MVC Tournament Champions and three NCAA Tournament berths.
Dapprich played in 95 games and made 72 starts in her career while averaging 9.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. She connected on 94 career 3-pointers, ranking eighth all-time in Wichita State history, plus her career 34.7 3-point field goal percentage ranks ninth on the all-time list.
Ready Redshirts
Along with Michaela Dapprich, the Mavericks will look for contributions from two other Division I transfers –Courtney Vaccher and redshirt junior guard Moriah Dapprich – and freshman Jay Bridgeman.
Moriah Dapprich played two seasons for the Shockers, appearing in 46 games and averaged 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds. Vaccher appeared in four games as a freshman at Texas Tech.
Shaw in the Summit
Mikaela Shaw earned Preseason All-Summit League First Team accolades for the second straight season. As a junior, she was a first-team All-Summit League selection and named to the Summit League All-Tournament Team. Shaw led the Summit League in points per game and was second in total points (549).
Summit League Poll Released
Omaha was picked to finish fifth in the 2016-17 Summit League Preseason Poll; the conference office announced. The poll was tallied in a vote of the league's head coaches, communications personnel and media.
South Dakota State was the favorite to win the Summit League, garnering 30 first-place votes for 542 points. IUPUI was second with 438 points, while South Dakota earned three first-place votes and 393 points for third. Oral Roberts came in fourth with one first place vote and 391 points, followed by Omaha, which received 325 points for fifth. Western Illinois was sixth in the poll with 250 points, while North Dakota State (156), Denver (150) and Fort Wayne (80) rounded it out in seventh, eighth and ninth places, respectively.
Shaw Named to Academic All-America Third Team
Last season, Mikaela Shaw was a Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-American. Shaw became the fifth Academic All-American in Omaha women's basketball history, with Paige Frauendorfer being the first Academic All-American in the Division I era. Other women's basketball honorees include Laura Anderson (1988), Amy Loth (1997), and Stacie Kaiser (1997).
Omaha Basketball Schedule Set
UNO's 2016-17 schedule includes 29 games, and the team will play nine states against schools from eight other Division I conference. The schedule has two opponents from the Big 12 and one each from the AAC, BIG East, CIAA, MEAC, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Southern and WAC. Three opponents – Colorado State, Kansas State and Summit League Tournament champion South Dakota State – played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Mavericks Announce 2017-18 Signing Class
Omaha announced its four-member 2017 signing class, as Kylee Coulter (Fayetteville, Ark./Fayetteville), Emily Dewey (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada/ Westwood Collegiate), Claire Killian (Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) and Emily Petersen (Omaha, Neb./Bellevue West) have all signed National Letters of Intent.
Getting to Know Coach Lange
Brittany Lange enters her fourth season as the head coach for the Mavericks and sixth with the program overall. Last season, UNO finished with a 15-15 overall record and earned the program's first berth into the Summit League Tournament as the sixth seed. In the tournament quarterfinals, Omaha upset third-seeded IUPUI, 62-51.
Lange's assistants are Lee Aduddell, Rodney Rogan, and Kirk Walker. Sadie Murren is in her first season as the director of basketball operations.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 18, visiting North Dakota State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Scheels Center inside the Sanford Health Athletic Complex, in Fargo, N.D., and the game will be broadcast live on Midco and ESPN3. Additionally, Donny Baarns will have the call on 1290 Zone 2. Live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
