OMAHA, Neb. -- The Omaha men's basketball team cruised in its first game of the Cayman Islands Classic Mainland Tournament at Omaha Monday night, topping Southern 78-51 at Baxter Arena. With the win, the Mavericks improve to 4-3 on the season, while the Jaguars drop to 2-4.
Leaders for Omaha
Matt Pile tallied his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds, adding two assists and two blocks.
Darrius Hughes added a season-high 15 points with five rebounds, and
Ayo Akinwole had 13 points, six caroms and five assists.
KJ Robinson rounded it out with 12 points alongside three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Leaders for Southern
Lamarcus Lee led the Jaguars with eight points and added seven rebounds. Darius Williams grabbed a game-high 12 boards with seven points.
Team Stats
Omaha shot 46.0% (29-of-63) and held Southern to 31.7% (19-of-60). SU had a slight 41-40 advantage on the glass, but the Mavericks outscored the Jaguars 38-22 in the paint. Omaha limited itself to a season-low nine turnovers while forcing 18.
Inside the First Half
An 11-0 run in the middle of the opening half spurred Omaha to a 23-11 lead with 8:50 to the break. Akinwole led the effort with 10 points, and Pile had eight points and six rebounds. By the halfway point, Omaha held a 37-23 advantage.
Inside the Second Half
A series of short runs in the second half helped the Mavericks extend their lead, as a 7-0 spurt capped by an Akinwole three made it 44-27. Six minutes later, an 8-0 run pushed it to 57-33 with under 10 to play.
Omaha built to its largest lead of 30 when a Robinson triple and three
Nathan Brusseau free throws completed a 6-0 run.
Noting Tonight's Game
-Omaha now leads the all-time series with Southern, 2-0.
-The Mavericks have won nine straight home games dating back to last season.
Up Next
Omaha faces Loyola (Md.) on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena. Gary Sharp and
Kyler Erickson will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
