FARGO, N.D. – Omaha was unable to hold off a fourth-quarter rally by North Dakota State on Saturday afternoon at the Scheels Center, losing 55-48.  With the setback, the Mavericks are now 8-19 overall and 2-12 in the Summit League.  The Bison improved to 7-19 (4-10). 

Leaders for Omaha
Kalen Phillips scored a team-high 11 points off the bench on 4-of-8 shooting.  Mariah Murdie added nine points and nine rebounds.  Claire Killian chipped in nine points, four rebounds and two steals.  Josie Filer scored four points with nine rebounds and three blocks.

Leaders for North Dakota State
Rylee Nudell led three Bison in double-figures with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and six rebounds.  Sofija Zivaljevic scored 13 points off the bench and grabbed six boards.  Emily Dietz chipped in 11 points, five boards, three assists and three blocks.

Team Stats
Omaha shot 29.5 percent (18-of-61) from the field and 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from 3-point range.  The Mavericks converted 60 percent (9-of-15) from the free throw line.  The Mavericks outscored the Bison 28-16 in the paint.

North Dakota State shot 33.3 percent (15-for-45) from the field and 25 percent (4-of-16) from long range.  The Bison connected on 77.8 percent (21-of-27) of its free throws.  NDSU held a 40-35 advantage on the boards, including a 32-23 lead on the defensive glass.

Inside the First Half
Omaha raced out to a 10-3 lead to start the game before North Dakota State responded with a 5-0 spurt to pull the Bison within two at the first media timeout.  Rayanna Carter nailed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to push Omaha's lead to 18-13 after the first period.

Both teams went scoreless for the first 3:56 of the second quarter before Zivaljevic went 1-for-2 at the line for the Bison.  Killian went 1-for-2 at the line with under two minutes left in the half to push Omaha lead back to five at 23-20.  NDSU's Danneka Voegeli finished her shot in the paint in the final minute of the half to cut UNO's lead to 23-22 at the break.

Inside the Second Half
Omaha held North Dakota State scoreless the opening 6:47 of the third quarter while building its lead to 31-22.  Phillips converted a three-point play at the 2:00 mark to give Omaha its largest lead at 34-24.  Zivaljevic's jumper with 90 seconds left in the period made it 34-26 heading into the fourth.

The North Dakota State offense caught fire in the final 5:45 of the fourth quarter, and it would prove to be Omaha's undoing.  The Bison outscored the Mavericks 29-14 in the final stanza, including a 19-4 spurt to end the game, as NDSU made six of eight free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the comeback.

Up Next
Omaha returns to the hardwood on Thursday, Feb. 28, visiting Oral Roberts.  Tipoff at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Okla. is set for 5 p.m.  Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.