MACOMB, Ill. – The Omaha women's basketball team trailed from the opening tip Saturday afternoon, falling 80-63 to Western Illinois at Western Hall. The Mavericks are now 11-13 (4-7 Summit League), while the Leathernecks improve to 18-6 (8-3 Summit League).
Senior forward Michaela Dapprich led the Mavericks with 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting and had a team-high five steals. Sophomore guard Ellie Brecht added 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting with three boards and two assists.
Senior forward Mikaela Shaw shot 5-of-12 from the field to total 10 points. It was the 55th consecutive game that the Deweese, Neb. native has reached double-figure points. Sophomore center Courtney Vaccher added seven points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Taylor Higginbotham had a game-high 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers to lead the Leathernecks. Higginbotham also grabbed eight rebounds. Emily Clemens added 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, while Morgan Blumer had 13 points.
Omaha shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the field, while Western Illinois shot 45.9 percent (28-of-61). The Mavericks converted 30.4 percent (7-of-23) of their 3-point attempts, while the Leathernecks hit 33.3 percent (7-of-21). WIU connected on 70.8 percent (17-of-24) of its free throws compared to 33.3 percent (2-of-6) by UNO.
Western Illinois jumped out to an early lead with a 5-0 run before Dapprich put Omaha on the board with a jumper. Dapprich's bucket ignited a 7-3 UNO run, which brought the Mavericks within one. Although Omaha fought back within a possession, the Leathernecks finished the period with an 8-4 run and owned a 16-11 lead over the Mavericks after the first 10 minutes of play.
The Leathernecks opened the second quarter by outscoring the Mavericks 5-2, but Brecht responded by netting her first 3-pointer of the afternoon to keep Omaha within reach of WIU, 21-18. Brecht's ninth point of the quarter narrowed Western Illinois' lead to four with 2:15 left in the quarter, 32-28. Higginbotham hit a jumper in the waning seconds of the half to put WIU up 36-29 at halftime.
Western Illinois went on a 7-0 run to start the second half to put some distance between themselves and the Mavericks before freshman forward Jay Bridgeman ended WIU's run with her first points of the day. The Leathernecks moved back in front by 17 midway through the quarter, 48-31. Junior guard Remy Davenport sparked a 7-2 Omaha run as the Mavericks closed the gap to 10 points. Western Illinois ended the quarter with four straight points for a 60-46 advantage.
Junior guard Marissa Preston knocked down a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter, but Western Illinois kept its momentum and pushed the lead back to 15 points at 64-49. Vaccher sparked a 9-2 Omaha run that eventually cut the WIU lead to 72-63 with 4:44 remaining. The Leathernecks regained their double-digit advantage down the stretch and secured an 80-63 victory.
The Mavericks return to action on Saturday, Feb. 11, visiting Oral Roberts. Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m. at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Okla., and Donny Baarns with have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
