OMAHA, Neb. -- The Maverick women's basketball team welcomes Graceland (NAIA) to Baxter Arena tomorrow at 7 p.m. for its third of five-straight home contests.
OPENING TIP
• Recently, the team dropped its third-straight game with a 79-66 loss to Cleveland State Sunday afternoon.
• In that game,
Mariah Murdie recorded her third-career double-double with a team-best 13 points and 11 rebounds.
• This season, Omaha has three different players that have recorded double-doubles in Murdie,
Elena Pilakouta and
Ella Ogier.
•
Rayanna Carter also recorded her third five-plus assist game this year against Cleveland State.
• The senior now has five or more assists in two of her last three games with just one turnover.
• Omaha meets Graceland for the fourth time in the series history and holds a 3-0 advantage.
• The Mavericks defeated Graceland 81-39 last season on Dec. 2, 2018.
SCOUTING GRACELAND
The Yellowjackets enter the game with a 2-11 overall record this season. Graceland is led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Calesse Bair (12.8 ppg), Hailey Boden (12.2) and Brooke Vermeer (10.5).
The Yellowjackets are led by second-year head coach Frank Howell. Graceland's roster consists of two local kids in Hailey and Kailey Boden, who both hail from Millard, Neb. and attended Millard South High School.
NEW NUMBER, SAME MARIAH
Sophomore
Mariah Murdie is coming off a strong freshman season where she garnered Summit League All-Newcomer honors. Her biggest performance was an 11-point, 18-rebound effort against Purdue Fort Wayne on Jan. 24, 2019. The 18 rebounds marked a Division I-era record and tie for eighth all-time in program history.
In the exhibition game against Lakeland College, Murdie recorded a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting. Despite picking up two early fouls in the season opener against Creighton, Murdie had a team-high two blocks in 16 minutes of play. Against Northern Iowa on Dec. 10, she led the way with 11 points. Recently, Murdie notched her third-career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds against Cleveland State.
LOOKING AHEAD
Omaha is off until Dec. 29, where the team opens Summit League play against South Dakota State. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. inside Baxter Arena. The day also marks a doubleheader with the men's team, who plays at 4:30 p.m. against the Jackrabbits as well. For more information, visit OMavs.com.
