OMAHA, Neb. – Amber Vidal scored a career-high 21 points as Omaha fought off a determined Montana State squad, 64-53, at Sapp Fieldhouse on Friday afternoon.

The Mavericks improved to 1-2 on the season, while the Bobcats fell to 2-2.

Leaders for Omaha:
Amber Vidal set personal-bests in points (21), assists (nine) and rebounds (six).  Vidal's 21 points came on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor, including a 6-of-8 effort from the free throw line.  Claire Killian joined Vidal in double figures with 14 points, five rebounds and three steals.  Jay Bridgeman added seven points and seven rebounds.

Leaders for Montana State:
Madeline Smith led the Bobcats with a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds.  Blaire Braxton grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with five points.  Delany Junkermier added nine points, while Hannah Caudill chipped in seven points and seven assists.

Team Stats
Omaha shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) compared to Montana State's 34.5 percent (20-of-58).  The Mavericks shot 40 percent (6-of-15) from beyond the 3-point line while the Bobcats managed only 14.8 percent (4-of-27).  UNO hit for 66.7 percent (16-of-24) from the free throw line, while MSU connected on only 56.3 percent (9-of-16).

Inside the First Quarter
The Bobcats shot 25 percent (3-of-12) from the floor compared to the Mavericks' 18.8 percent (3-of-16).  Omaha shot 25 percent (1-of-4) from the 3-point line, while Montana State missed all seven of its attempts.  Vidal's five points led UNO as it outscored MSU 9-6 in the quarter.

Sizing Up the Second Quarter
Omaha came out hot in the second quarter, hitting 50 percent (6-of-12) of its shots from the floor, while Montana State connected on 30 percent (6-of-20) of its shots.  The Mavericks were sizzling from long range connecting on 75 percent (3-of-4) of their shots compared the Bobcat's 11.1 percent (1-of-9).  Madeline Smith and Blaire Braxton each had four points in the period for MSU, while Emily Petersen drained a pair of 3-pointers in the quarter for the Mavericks.  Omaha took a 26-19 lead into the locker room at the half.

Looking at the Third Quarter
Montana State shot 50 percent (5-of-10) from the field and 33.3 percent (2-of-6) from distance in the third quarter.  Omaha managed only 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from the floor and hit just one 3-point attempt.  The Mavericks led by as many as 14 points in the period, but 3-pointers by Rebekah Hatchard and Hannah Caudill cut the lead to eight, 40-32, by the end of the third.

Wrapping up the Fourth Quarter
UNO's shooting touch came back for the final period as the Mavericks connected on 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from the field and 68.8 percent (11-of-16) at the free throw line.  Omaha's defense held Montana State to 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from the floor and 20 percent (1-of-5) from 3-point distance.   A Smith layup with 8:08 left in regulation cut UNO's lead to five.  Killian keyed a seven-point run to put the Mavericks back up by double figures at 47-35.  The visitors made one last push to get back into the game.  A pair of Junkermier baskets cut the lead again to five with 2:49 left on the clock.  Vidal then scored five straight points and Alicia Mountain added a pair of free throws to put the game out of reach as UNO came away with a 64-53 victory.

Up Next
The Mavericks welcome Florida A&M to Sapp Fieldhouse on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m., and Donny Baarns will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2.  Links to live stats, audio and video are available on OMavs.com.