Follow The Game
The Omaha women's basketball team returns to Baxter Arena for the first time since February for their 2021-22 home opener Thursday afternoon. The Mavericks will take on the Tennessee State Lady Tigers coming off their first win of the season against UIC. The game can be heard on 1180 The Zone with Casey Roehl on the call. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Omaha will also be hosting nearly 2,500 students from school districts around the Omaha metro area for their annual kids day at Baxter Arena.
Quick Hits
• Omaha got their first victory of the season 70-58 over UIC Monday. The Mavericks shot a season-best 47.2 from the field and corralled a season-high 45 rebounds against the Flames.
• Elena Pilakouta was a force down low against UIC. She finished with a career-high 32 points on 14-18 shooting and hauled in eight rebounds. The Mavericks outscored the Flames 40-22 in the paint which was their biggest advantage down low this season.
• Grace Cave made her second consecutive start and scored a career-high 13 points against UIC draining three shots from long range, the second game she's made at least two three-pointers this season.
• Mariah Murdie continued to show her all-around ability against UIC, with seven points, 12 rebounds and five assists. She is now the active career leader in nine different categories for the Mavericks including points (716), assists (97) and games played (80).
• Natalie Bartle got her first start in a Mavericks uniform against UIC, it was the second straight game with a different starting lineup. Freshman Kennedi Grant also returned for the Mavericks against the Flames making her first appearance in an Omaha uniform, she saw eight minutes of action off the bench.
• The Mavericks return four starters from last season's squad but have several new faces for the 2021-22 season including five freshman and two junior transfers.
• Omaha was tabbed eighth in the Summit League Preseason Poll. The Mavericks finished last season 7-13 overall with a 4-8 league finish. They earned the eighth seed in the Summit League Tournament last spring and advanced to the Championship game before falling to South Dakota.
Scouting the Tennessee State Lady Tigers
• Tennessee State is coming off a 77-65 loss at Western Kentucky and have wins against Fisk, Georgia State and North Alabama. Tatyana Davis leads the Lady Tigers in scoring with 15.8 points-per-game, Gia Adams is the other Lady Tiger to average double-digits with 11.8 points-per-game.
• Head coach Ty Evans is in his second season in charge of the Lady Tigers. They finished the 2020-21 season 0-22 but welcomed 12 newcomers to the 21-22 squad.
All-Time Against Tennessee State
This will be the first ever meeting between the two teams.
Up Next
The Mavericks continue their stay at home Sunday against Saint Mary with tip-off set for 2 p.m. at Baxter Arena.
