NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Juniors Amber Vidal and Courtney Vaccher and freshman Claire Killian each scored in double-figures as the Omaha women's basketball defeated CSUN 68-60 at the Matadome on Wednesday afternoon.  With the victory, the Mavericks improved to 8-4 (0-0 Summit League) while the Matadors dropped to 5-7 (0-0 Big West).

Leaders for Omaha
Vidal led the Mavericks in scoring for the fifth time this season, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting and a 5-of-6 effort at the free throw line.  Killian scored a career-high 17 points, connecting on 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 at the line.  Killian added five rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot.  Vaccher, meanwhile, added 17 points with a 6-of-8 effort from the floor and went 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.

Leaders for CSUN
The Matadors for a game-high 23 points from Channon Fluker, who finished 9-of-13 from the floor.  Fluker also grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals.  Tessa Boagni pitched in 12 points and five boards.

Team Stats
CSUN outshot Omaha .431 (25-of-58) to .426 (23-of-54), but the Mavericks connected on 18-of-20 (90%) at the free throw line.  CSUN also outrebounded UNO 39-27, including 11-5 on the offensive end.  Omaha turned 17 CSUN turnovers in 21 points while committing only 11.

Inside the First Quarter
Vaccher led the Mavericks in the opening 10 minutes with eight points, while Ellie Brecht scored three and Jess Walter added two.  CSUN forced Omaha into five turnovers in the first quarter.  UNO found itself down 7-5 midway through the period.  Two free throws by Walter tied the game at 9-9 with 2:02 on the clock.  Four straight points by Vaccher gave Omaha a slim 13-12 lead with 45 seconds remaining, but a Fluker layup gave CSUN a 14-13 lead at the end of the quarter.

Sizing Up the Second Quarter
The Matadors opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 20-13 lead with 5:45 left in the half.  A Fluker layup with 2:36 on the clock gave CSUN its largest lead of the half, 26-19.  Vidal went to work for UNO, scoring the final six points of the half as the Mavericks trailed 26-25 heading into the locker room.

Looking at the Third Quarter
Vaccher led the Mavericks with seven points, including a 3-of-3 effort at the charity stripe, and three rebounds in the third quarter.  Killian chipped in four points and two steals.  Omaha opened the second half on a 9-2 run and led 34-28 with 8:17 left in the period.  CSUN responded with a 12-2 spurt to regain its lead 40-36 with 2:57 remaining.  The Matadors led by four, 42-38, after three quarters.

Wrapping Up the Fourth Quarter
Killian and Vidal combined for 19 points, as Omaha outscored CSUN 30-18 in the fourth period.  An early 10-0 run helped Omaha build a six-point Maverick lead in the opening 2:36 of the period.  Brecht had five of Omaha's 10 points in the outburst. A layup by Juliana Louis cut lead to four midway through the stanza.  The Mavericks outscored the Matadors 13-4 over the next 3:42 to take their largest lead of the game at 13 (SCORE). A Boagni three-pointer made it an eight-point game with less than 30 seconds left on the clock, but four-straight free throws from Vidal put the game out of reach, 68-60.

Up Next
Omaha opens Summit League play on Saturday, Dec. 30, welcoming Oral Roberts.  Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Donny Baarns will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2.  Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.