OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha women's basketball team claimed its first Summit League win of the season Sunday afternoon, defeating North Dakota State 78-61 at Baxter Arena.
Leaders for Omaha
Rayanna Carter was Omaha's leading scorer for the second straight game, finishing with 16 points, two assists and two steals.
Claire Killian had 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Killian added two assists and three steals.
Mariah Murdie tallied in double figures, posting 15 points. The freshman went 7-of-8 at the free throw line while adding seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Josie Filer grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to go with four points and three assists.
Leaders for North Dakota State
Rylee Nudell scored a team-high 12 points off the bench. Nudell added six assists and three rebounds. Emily Dietz had 10 points, five rebounds and two assists. Michelle Gaislerova added 10 points and two rebounds.
Team Stats
As a team, Omaha shot 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the floor, 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from 3-point range and 94.7 percent (18-of-19) at the free throw line. North Dakota State finished at 38.8 percent (26-of-67) from the field, 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from long range and 57.1 percent (4-of-7) at the line. UNO outboarded NDSU 38-33, including a 25-18 advantage on the defensive glass.
Inside the First Half
Omaha got off to a quick start in the first quarter, bursting out to a 15-4 edge in the opening five minutes.
Elena Pilakouta delivered the Mavericks' opening basket, followed by a 3-pointer from Killian to make it 5-0. Carter then hit a pair of free throws for a 7-0 advantage, before Nudell delivered the Bison's first bucket. Before the opening period concluded NDSU got as close as eight at 19-11, but three straight free throws from Murdie allowed UNO to take a 22-11 lead into the second quarter.
The Mavericks stretched the lead to 25-11 in the opening minute of the second thanks to a 3-pointer from
Kylee Coulter. North Dakota State answered with a 14-0 run over the next 5:49 to draw even at 25-25. Omaha regained momentum as
Kalen Phillips converted a traditional three-point play followed by a Carter trey. Another bucket from Carter with six seconds left in the half made it 33-27 at halftime.
Inside the Second Half
Omaha put the game out of reach in the opening five minutes of the second half as Carter and
Sophie Johnston sparked a 13-7 run for a 46-34 lead. Coulter and Phillips each hit 3-pointers to put the Mavericks ahead 52-41 heading to the fourth quarter.
Murdie scored six straight points for Omaha to open the fourth quarter as the lead grew to 58-44. Late in the quarter, the Mavericks took their largest lead of 22 points on a Carter jumper, which capped an 11-2 run. North Dakota State finished the game on a 5-0 run as Omaha captured its first league victory 78-61.
Noting Tonight's Game
- Omaha snapped a five-game losing streak with the win.
- Tonight's 10 3-pointers was a season-best for the Mavericks.
- UNO also set a season-high with 18 made free throws.
- Carter hit double-figures for the second-straight game and ninth time this season.
- Killian scored 10-plus points for the fifth-straight game and tenth time this season.
Up Next
Omaha returns to the road on Wednesday, Jan. 9 with a visit to North Dakota at 8 p.m. in Grand Forks, N.D. The game will be broadcast on YurView Cox Channel 1013, MidcoSN2 and ESPN+, and Donny Baarns will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
