OMAHA, Neb. - The Omaha men's basketball team opened the 2021-22 season vs. Hastings Tuesday night. The Mavericks earned a 67-57 win at Ralston to start the year 1-0.

Leaders for Omaha
Frankie Fidler led Omaha notching 15 points in his career debut, while Kyle Luedtke and Marco Smith added 10 points each. Fidler was 4-of-8 from the field and 6-for-6 at the line.

Luedtke went 3-of-8 from the field with two three-pointers, while Smith connected on 5-of-12 from the field. He also added five boards, two assists, and two steals.

Leaders for Hastings
Dashawn Walker led the Broncos with 15 points. He shot 60 percent from the field connecting on 6-of-10.

Mathais Nchekwube notched a double-double with 10 points and a game-leading 14 boards. Thirteen of his rebounds were on the defensive glass.

Team Stats
The Mavericks led from the field shooting 42.9 percent (24-56). The Broncos held a slight advantage at the line connecting on 73.3 percent of their free throw attempts to Omaha's 71.4 percent.

Omaha dominated the paint, 28-18, while Mavericks off the bench helped outscore Hastings' bench, 22-7.

Inside the First Half
Hastings jumped out to an early four-point lead in the first three minutes of action Tuesday night. A bucket from three-point range from TJ Babikir made it a 10-6 lead in favor of the Broncos. Back-to-back buckets from Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler and Felix Lemetti helped swing the momentum back in Omaha's favor. Lemetti's three at the 15:46 mark gave the Mavericks a one-point edge.

The Mavericks held on to the lead for the remainder of the half and led by as much as 13 on a jumper from Marco Smith at the 6:21 mark. The Broncos cut Omaha's lead down to six three different times in the final three minutes, but the Mavericks led 35-29 at the break.

Inside the Second Half
Walker opened the half with a jumper for the Broncos before the Mavericks responded with a 6-0 run to extend their lead back to double-figures. A layup from Fidler at the 18:31 mark made it a 41-31 Omaha lead. Slowly, Hastings chipped away at the lead and got within three points of the Mavericks with a Gansebom three-pointer midway through the half.

Smith hit two straight jumpers with under five minutes left in the game opening Omaha's lead to 11 points for the largest advantage of the half. Hastings got within eight twice, but Fidler's layup with 13 second left capped the win, 67-57.

Noting Tonight's Game
-Fidler's set a career-high 15 points in his Omaha debut, while Luedtke and Smiths added 10 each. 
-It marked the second games of Luedtke and Smith's careers that they notched double-figure scoring efforts.
-Darrius Hughes flirted with a double-double tallying nine points and eight rebounds.

Up Next
Omaha opens a five-game road trip at Ball State Saturday, Nov. 13. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CT. Gary Sharp will have the call, and links to live stats, audio, and video will be available at OMavs.com.