FARGO, N.D. – Amber Vidal hit a jump shot with 2.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift Omaha to a 59-57 victory over North Dakota State in the final game of the regular season on Saturday inside the Scheels Center.
With the win, UNO completed the regular season with a record of 12-15 (3-11 Summit League), while NDSU drops to 9-19 (2-12) and enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed.
Up Next
Omaha secured the No. 6 seed in the Summit League Championships in Sioux Falls, S.D. UNO will play No. 3-seeded Western Illinois in the opening round on Sunday, March 4 at 2:30 p.m.
Leaders for Omaha
Vidal and
Courtney Vaccher each scored a game-high 15 points. Vidal finished 7-of-17 from the floor with four rebounds and two assists. Vaccher, the Summit League leader in field goal percentage, was 7-of-10 from the field with nine rebounds and a pair of steals.
Jess Walter chipped in 13 points, four boards and two assists.
Claire Killian added seven points, six rebounds and two steals.
Leaders for North Dakota State
Taylor Thunstedt led the Bison with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Reilly Jacobson had 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.
Team Stats
North Dakota State shot .423 (22-of-52) from the field while Omaha connected on .381 (24-of-63). UNO committed only nine turnovers compared to 14 by NDSU. The Mavericks held a 39-35 rebounding advantage.
Inside the First Half
Omaha jumped out to a 7-3 to start the game as Walter scored five early points. North Dakota State scored the next five points to go in front 8-7 with 6:31 left in the period. A Vaccher layup with 37 seconds left on the clock put Omaha ahead 17-10. Sarah Jacobson sank a three-pointer to cut UNO's lead to 17-13 after the opening 10 minutes.
The Bison defense held the Mavericks scoreless for a 4:06 span midway through the second quarter to take a 31-22 lead. Vaccher scored five of UNO's next seven points to move Omaha within 33-29 at halftime.
Inside the Second Half
Kalen Phillips hit a three-pointer to open up the scoring in the second half for the Mavericks. An
Alicia Mountain layup followed by a Vaccher bucket moved Omaha back in front 38-37 with 6:29 left in the third period. The two teams exchanged buckets over the next five minutes with neither team able to go up by more than three. Michelle Gaislerova's layup in the final minute gave NDSU a 50-47 lead after three quarters.
Omaha trailed by as many as five points in the fourth quarter before Vidal's three-pointer tied the game at 54-54. Killian then drained a trey with 1:19 left in regulation for a 57-54 Maverick advantage. Following a timeout by each team, Sarah Jacobson nailed a three to tie things up. Vidal was able to create some space for a shot that put Omaha on top 59-57 with seven seconds remaining. NDSU called a timeout to talk things over and move the ball to midcourt. Killian came up with a steal in the final seconds of regulation to give Omaha the victory.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action at the Summit League Tournament, March 3-6, in Sioux Falls, S.D. A full bracket will be released at the conclusion of regular-season play on Saturday, Feb. 24.
