OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha women's basketball program fell 58-57 at home to Purdue Fort Wayne on a pair of late Mastodon free throws with under a second to play.
Purdue Fort Wayne's (5-15, 1-6) Hannah Albrecht sank both shots from the charity stripe for the win over the Mavericks, who fall to 6-14 and 1-6 in league play.
LEADERS FOR OMAHA
Ella Ogier capped off another strong performance with a career-high 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting with six assists and seven rebounds. She also went a perfect 6-for-6 at the lie. Josie Filer followed with 13 points and five rebounds with a block. Mariah Murdie posted nine points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
LEADERS FOR PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Riley Ott posted a team-high 16 points, while Albrecht followed up with 14. Anna Lappenkuper rounded out the Mastodon double-digit scoring effort with 10 points.
TEAM STATS
Omaha went 21-of-55 (38.2%) from the floor and 4-of-12 (33.3%) from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, Omaha went 11-of-17 (64.7%). The Mavericks commanded the rebounding battle 44-24. Both teams scored 26 points in the paint. Purdue Fort Wayne went 22-of-52 from the field (42.3%), 5-for-16 from three (31.3%) and 9-of-10 from the line (90%).
INSIDE THE FIRST HALF
Omaha opened the game on a 5-0 run, but fell behind after seven-straight Mastodon points. Omaha fought back and evened the score at 15-all, but a late three by the 'Dons put them ahead 18-15 after one quarter of play. The Mavericks controlled the later portion of the second quarter. With the score tied at 25-all, the Mavericks put together an 8-0 run over the final 4:26 of the half and led 33-28.
INSIDE THE SECOND HALF
The third quarter featured a 14-0 Mastodon run, as the Mavericks were held scoreless in the first four minutes of the frame. Heading into the fourth, Omaha trailed by two (44-42). Despite being in the late hole, Omaha evened the score at 46-all with 7:52 to go after a Murdie layup. With 2:45 to go, Ogier stole the ball and went coast-to-coast for the layup and gave the Mavericks a 50-48 lead. Purdue Fort Wayne was forced to foul as the Mavericks went up 55-51 with 22 seconds to go. Up four with seven seconds to go, Purdue Fort Wayne's Hannah Hess knocked down a three and pulled the team to within one (57-56). A late foul put the visitors on the line, as Albrecht's free throws sealed the 1-point win over Omaha.
LOOKING AHEAD
Omaha stays inside Baxter Arena for a Wednesday, Jan. 29, showdown against South Dakota. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. For more information, visit OMavs.com.
