This Week
Omaha wraps up its three-game road swing on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at Fort Wayne. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT at the Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Donny Baarns will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2 and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Maverick Notes
• The Omaha Mavericks enter Wednesday at 10-10 overall and 3-4 in Summit League play after an 82-73 victory over Denver Saturday afternoon.
• Senior forward Mikaela Shaw leads the team and is second in the Summit League in rebounding with 8.0 boards per game. Shaw also leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference in scoring with 16.5 points per game.
• Junior guard Remy Davenport leads the team and is third in the league with a 2.2 assist to turnover ratio.
• Sophomore center Courtney Vaccher leads the team and the Summit League with a .614 field goal percentage (62-of-101). Freshman forward Jay Bridgeman is second on the team with a .604 field goal percentage (32-of-53).
• As a team, the Mavericks are averaging 69.5 points per game while giving up 62.9 per game. Omaha is outrebounding the opposition, 37.6 to 33.
• In Summit League play only, Omaha limits its opponents to a .388 percent field goal percentage, the second lowest in the league. Also, the Mavericks hold the opposition to a .282percent from 3-point range, second lowest in conference play.
Scouting the Fort Wayne Mastodons
Fort Wayne is 3-17 (0-7 Summit League) on the year after a 75-59 loss against Oral Roberts last Saturday. De'Jour Young leads the team in scoring (12.6) and rebounding (4.9). Rachel Rinehart averages 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
Head coach Niecee Nelson is in her first season with the Mastodons and has a career mark of 3-17. Wednesday marks the ninth all-time meeting between Omaha and Fort Wayne. The series is tied, 4-4, with UNO winning the last meeting 71-64 in Omaha on Feb. 11, 2016.
Omaha Quick Hits
• Two Omaha starters average double-digit scoring: Mikaela Shaw (16.5) and Michaela Dapprich (13.2).
• Shaw became the only player in school history to reach the 1,600 points, 800 rebounds and 280 assist milestones.
• Shaw (18.7), Dapprich (18.6) and Davenport (10.3) each average double-figures in conference play this season.
• The Mavericks finished 7-6 in non-conference play, marking their second straight season finishing .500 or better against non-conference opponents.
• Nine of Omaha's 10 wins this season have been by 20 points or more, and UNO has won those nine games by an average margin of 29 points.
• 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 106th consecutive appearance and reached double-figure in scoring for the 51st straight game.
• Head coach Brittany Lange has used two different lineups through the first 19 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 36.6 percent (171-of-467) from long-range.
• Nine different Mavericks have scored in double figures over the first 19 games this year.
• Shaw has had a double-double five times this season. Sophomore center Courtney Vaccher is the only other Maverick to accomplish the feat this season.
• Omaha returns eight letterwinners from its 2015-16 team, including three starters in Mikaela Shaw, Remy Davenport and senior guard Abi Lujan.
• The 2016-17 Preseason Summit League Coaches' Poll picked UNO to finish fifth, and Shaw earned Preseason All-Summit League First Team accolades.
• The Mavericks will play 29 games this season, including 12 contests at Baxter Arena and one at Sapp Fieldhouse.
Last Time Out: Trio Leads Omaha by Denver, 82-73
Behind a combined 64 points and 19 rebounds from Mikaela Shaw (26), Michaela Dapprich (18) and Remy Davenport (18), Omaha downed Denver last Saturday at Magness Arena, 82-73.
Shaw led the Mavericks in scoring, finishing with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting with a 10-of-10 effort at the free-throw line. She added six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a blocked shot. It was the fourth 20-point scoring game of the season for the Deweese, Neb., native.
Davenport finished with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting while going 4-of-5 from the beyond the arc and adding nine rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals.
Dapprich also had 18 points and shot 5-of-12 from the field with four 3-pointers. Abi Lujan and Courtney Vaccher each had six points.
Jacqlyn Poss led four double-figure scorers for Denver, finishing with 21 points. Lauren Loven had another 16 points with four 3-pointers, while Jesse Spittel added 11 points and Briana Johnson had 10.
As a team, Omaha shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the floor to Denver's 45.2 percent (28-of-62). UNO finished 40.9 percent (9-for-22) behind the arc, while DU came in at 33.3 percent (6-of-18). The Mavericks were a perfect 19-of-19 at the line, while the Pioneers managed 84.6 percent (11-of-13). Denver held a 34-28 advantage on the boards, while Omaha led in assists, 16-11, and blocked shots, 6-0.
Omaha hit its first three shots in the opening 90 seconds of the first quarter to take a 7-4 edge. Denver answered with back-to-back baskets from Loven and Spittel to move ahead 8-7 with 7:20 left. A three-point play from Lujan and 3-pointer from Davenport put Omaha up five midway through the quarter. After the Pioneers had trimmed the UNO lead to one late in the period, Ellie Brecht hit a pair of free throws for a 21-18 lead.
The Mavericks increased their lead to eight points early in the second quarter thanks to a three from Lujan. DU withstood UNO's strong start to the quarter and cut the lead to 36-32 on a 3-pointer from Loven with 4:26 left. Shaw then scored seven straight, as the Omaha lead grew to 11 points late in the first half. After a pair of Denver free throws, UNO took a 43-34 lead into halftime.
The Pioneers came out of the break on fire as the Pioneers tied the game 47-all with 3:42 left in the third quarter. Three-pointers from Dapprich and Davenport put UNO ahead 53-49 with under two minutes left. Denver continued to keep Omaha off the boards and tied the game at 57-all by the close of the quarter.
Shaw put the Mavericks briefly back on top with a jumper to open the fourth quarter. Denver seized a four-point lead at 65-61 with 7:11 left. Four straight free throws from Shaw evened the game at 65-all. Dapprich then hit two 3-pointers to give Omaha a four-point lead with 5:24 remaining. Shaw scored the next seven points as UNO built its lead back to nine points, 78-69. The Mavericks clamped down on defense by limiting the Pioneers only four points in the final 2:48 to claim victory.
One of a Kind
Mikaela Shaw became the only player in Omaha women's basketball history to score 1,600 points, grab 800 rebounds and dish out 280 assists. Shaw ranks fifth all-time in points per game (15.1) and seventh in rebounds per game (7.8).
Caring is Sharing
As a team, Omaha ranks second in The Summit League and 22nd nationally with 343 total assists and 24th with 17.2 assists per game. Mikaela Shaw averages 4.1 assists per game and has a team-leading 81 assists. Remy Davenport averages 3.8 helpers per game and has 76 so far this season. Four other Mavericks have 25-or-more assists on the season - sophomore guard Amber Vidal (61), Michaela Dapprich (37), junior guard Marissa Preston (32) and Abi Lujan (28).
Points, Points, Points
The Mavericks have five players averaging 5.0-or-more points this season. Mikaela Shaw and Michaela Dapprich lead the way averaging 16.5 ppg and 13.2 ppg, respectively. Remy Davenport averages 9.3 points per game followed by Courtney Vaccher's 7.5 ppg. Sophomore guard Ellie Brecht chips in 5.2 points per game.
Ms. 1,600
Mikaela Shaw passed Sandy Skradski (1,582 points) to become the fifth player in program history to score 1,600 career points. Next up on the list for Shaw is Mary Henke Anderson (1979-83) in fourth place with 1,629 points. Niece Jochims (1975-79) is the program's all-time leader with 1,939 points.
Marvelous Michaela
Michaela Dapprich reached double figures 12 times this season and scored 20 or more points four times. She averages 13.2 points per game but averages 18.6 points in conference play.
Arc Madness
The Mavericks rank 10th nationally in total 3-pointers made (171) and 14th in 3-pointers made per game (8.6). Their .366 field goal percentage is 26th nationally and fourth in the Summit League. Every player on the roster has connected on at least one trifecta. UNO has made 10 or more threes nine times this season.
The 800 Club
Mikaela Shaw is in sole possession of seventh place in career rebounds. The senior has 827 boards and needs 34 more to pass Laura Anderson for sixth place. Shaw is also the program's all-time leader in defensive rebounds with 593, surpassing Tanya Hammes' (1999-2002) mark of 502. She needs only six offensive boards to set the program record.
The One to Count on
Mikaela Shaw made her 100th consecutive start on New Year's Day and now sits fourth all-time in games started with 106. Lindsey Petersen is the career leader with 110 starts.
Got a Minute?
This season nine different Mavericks are averaging 10-or-more minutes per game. Mikaela Shaw averages 31.3 minutes per game to lead Omaha. Two other Mavericks – Remy Davenport (30.7 mpg), Michaela Dapprich (25.5) – average over 25 minutes per game.
Nifty 50
Mikaela Shaw has now scored in double-figures in 51 straight games. The last time she scored less than 10 points was Feb. 26, 2015 against Fort Wayne.
Impressive Preston
Marissa Preston scored a season-best 11 points against North Dakota State. Early in the second quarter, the junior guard nailed three straight 3-pointers. She has appeared in every game averaging 17.1 minutes per game. Preston is shooting .443 percent (31-of-70) from the field and .431 percent (22-of-51) from beyond the 3-point arc.
Shaw-me the Way
Mikaela Shaw leads the Mavericks in points, rebounds, assists, blocked shots and minutes played per game. Shaw collected her 26th career double-double against Western Illinois. She scored a season-high 26 points against Denver 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. In that game, the sophomore post set career highs in points (17) and rebounds (11). This season, Vaccher is averaging 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She leads the team and Summit League with a .614 field goal percentage (62-of-101).
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 9.3 points, 3.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Davenport set a career record with eight assists against Western Illinois and grabbed a career-best nine rebounds against Denver. Earlier this season, she scored a season-high 21 points against UMKC.
Bridge Work
Jay Bridgeman is second on the team with a .604 (32-of-53) field goal percentage. 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 17th all-time in made treys with 70 and needs two more to move past Jill Dau (1985-89) into 16th place.
Downtown
Remy Davenport leads the Mavericks with 44 3-pointers this season and has connected from deep in 18 games this season.
The junior guard now ranks second in program history with 171 career treys. She needs 44 more to become the program's all-time leader. She connected on 65 3-pointers last season and set the UNO single-game record with 10 made treys against Denver on Jan. 17, 2016.
In the Summit
Omaha is one of the strongest defensive teams in the Summit League, holding the opposition to the conference's second-lowest shooting percentage (.383) and allowing only 62.9 points per game.
UNO is second in rebound margin (+4.6), field goal pct. (.442), 3-pointers attempted per game (23.4), 3-pointers made per game (8.6), assists per game (17.2) and opponent's 3-point pct. (.297).
Nationally, the Mavericks rank 39th overall with a 1.15 assist/turnover ration.
Mikaela Shaw leads the league in defensive rebounds (119) and is second in total rebounds (160) and rebounds per game (8.0). She is third in assists (81) and the top five in four other categories.
Winner, Winner
Nine of Omaha's 10 wins have come by an average margin of 29 points this year. The Mavericks have won by 20 three times 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
The Summit League named Mikaela Shaw as its women's basketball player of the week for her performance Dec. 12-18. 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.
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 Saturday, Jan. 28, hosting South Dakota State. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Donny Baarns will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2 and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
