VERMILLION, S.D. – The Omaha women's basketball team dropped a 70-46 decision to South Dakota on Saturday afternoon at the Sanford Coyote Center.

Leaders for Omaha
Claire Killian led the Mavericks with a team-high 12 points along with four rebounds and two assists.  Ellie Brecht scored 10 points, grabbed eight boards and had four steals.  Courtney Vaccher added seven points and a game-high 13 boards.

Leaders for South Dakota
Allison Arens led four Coyotes in double figures with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting including three 3-pointers.  Arens added three steals and a team-best eight rebounds.  Madison McKeever chipped in 15 points and four steals.  Ciara Duffy and Jasmine Trimboli had 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Team Stats
South Dakota shot .441 (26-of-59) from the field and .357 (10-of-28) from beyond the 3-point arc on Saturday.  Omaha was .306 (15-of-49) from the floor and .300 (6-of-20) from long range.  USD shot .800 (8-of-10) at the free throw line compared to Omaha's .625 (10-of-16) effort.  The Mavericks held a 36-35 advantage on the glass, but the Coyotes forced 20 turnovers while committing only 12.

Inside the First Half
South Dakota shot .424 (14-of-33) from the floor in the first half compared to Omaha's .278 (5-of-18) effort.  USD also converted .333 (6-of-18) from beyond the 3-point arc while Omaha managed to hit .143 (1-for-7).  The Mavericks made five free throws in the half while the Coyotes did not attempt a free throw.  USD held a 19-14 advantage in rebounds and committed only five turnovers compared to UNO's 11.

Trimboli opened the game with a 3-pointer for South Dakota, but Omaha answered with a jumper by Kalen Phillips.  USD then went on a 12-2 run over the next 3:34 for a 15-4 lead midway through the first quarter.  The Coyotes ended the period with a 10-6 spurt for a 25-10 lead after the opening 10 minutes.

The second quarter both teams combine for a total of 15 points.  Amber Vidal led Omaha with three points. Ciara Duffy led South Dakota with five points as USD led 34-16 at the intermission.

Inside the Second Half
Omaha improved its shooting from the field in the second half to .323 (10-of-31) and from long range .385 (5-of-13).  South Dakota shot .462 (12-of-26) from the floor and .400 (4-of-10) from beyond the arc.  The Mavericks held a 22-16 edge in rebounding.  Both teams came out shooting to start the second half.  Killian scored six of Omaha's first seven points to start the third quarter.  Brecht scored UNO's final five points of the quarter as USD led 51-28 at the end of the period.

The Mavericks opened the fourth quarter on a 4-0 run on a Vaccher layup and two Vaccher free throws to cut the lead to 51-32.  Omaha hit four trey's over the next 4:25 but South Dakota made the final two buckets of the game for a 70-46 victory.

With the loss, Omaha is now 8-10 (0-6 Summit League), while South Dakota improved to 15-5 (6-0).

Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 24, hosting North Dakota State.  Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Donny Baarns will have the radio broadcast on 1180 Zone 2.  Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.