OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha women's basketball team visits Western Illinois this Wednesday, Feb. 7. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill.
How to Follow the Mavericks
Donny Baarns will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
About the Omaha Mavericks
• Omaha saw its two-game winning streak ended on Saturday with a 103-54 loss to South Dakota State.
• The Mavericks are 10-11 overall and 1-7 in Summit League action.
• Through 21 contests, junior guards
Amber Vidal (12.8 points and 3.7 assists per game) and
Jess Walter (10.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game) lead Omaha.
• Junior Center
Courtney Vaccher leads UNO and The Summit League in field-goal percentage at 62.3 percent.
• Junior guard
Ellie Brecht averages 10.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
• Freshman guard
Claire Killian leads Omaha and is seventh in the conference with 1.6 steals per game.
• UNO won seven straight games from Nov. 17-Dec. 6, its longest winning streak since the 2007-8 season.
• This season Vidal has led the Mavericks in scoring 10 times while Walter has led the team three times.
• Three Mavericks have had at least one 20-point scoring performance this season with Vidal going for 20+ six times.
• Omaha shot .500 or better as a team in three straight games from Nov. 30-Dec. 6 and four times overall this year.
• The Mavericks were picked fifth in the league's 2017-18 preseason poll.
• Last season, UNO finished 16-15 overall and fifth in the Summit League with a mark of 8-8.
• Omaha returns two of five starters from last season's team, Vaccher and Vidal.
• UNO also returns Brecht and junior guard
Kalen Phillips, along with sophomore forward
Jay Bridgeman.
• Walter and sophomore
Sara Echelberry return to action after redshirting in 2016-17.
• The Mavericks welcome six newcomers in juniors
Alicia Mountain and
Romekia Wallace, and freshmen
Kylee Coulter,
Emily Dewey,
Claire Killian and
Emily Petersen.
About the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks
The Fighting Leathernecks are 17-7 on the season with a 7-3 Summit League mark. WIU topped Oral Roberts 85-63 in Tulsa, Okla., last Saturday.
Emily Clemens leads Western Illinois with 18.1 points and 7.8 assists per game. Clemens is the two-time defending conference Player-of-the-Week. Last weekend, she broke the league's all-time assists (633) and free throws made (513) record in the win at Oral Roberts. Clemens also became WIU's all-time leading scorer (1,558) against the Golden Eagles. Taylor Higginbotham and Morgan Blumer average 17.2 and 14.3 points per game, respectively.
As a team, the Fighting Leathernecks are averaging a league-best 82.8 points per game. WIU also average 37.2 rebounds and 18.4 assists per game. Their opponents are averaging 67.7 points, 42.0 rebounds and 16.0 assists per game.
Head coach JD Gravina is in his seventh season at Western Illinois with a mark of 116-94 and has a 229-155 career record over 13 seasons.
History vs. Western Illinois
Wednesday is the 15th all-time meeting between Omaha and Western Illinois. The Fighting Leathernecks hold a 10-4 series advantage and have won five-straight in the series. Earlier this season, WIU defeated UNO 90-51 in Omaha, Neb., on Jan. 13.
Looking Ahead
The Mavericks welcome Fort Wayne to Baxter Arena on Saturday, Feb. 10. Donny Baarns will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Connect with the Mavericks on Social Media
Fans are encouraged to connect with the Mavericks on Facebook (OmahaWBB), Instagram (@OmahaWBB) and Twitter (@OmahaWBB). They are also encouraged to use #MaverickUprising in posts.
