OMAHA, Neb. – The Mavericks had another career-night from
Darrius Hughes who poured in a game-high 19 points, but Omaha fell short to Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, 87-73. The Mavericks held a one-point edge at halftime, but the Islanders took the lead on a pair of free throws to open the second half for control of the game.
The Mavericks fall to 1-9 overall.
Leaders for Omaha
Hughes led Omaha with 19 points on 6-of-9 from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line. He also led the game with seven rebounds.
Felix Lemetti reached double-figures again with 11 points. He was 3-of-6 from long range. Lemetti tallied six boards and three assists.
Akol Arop hit 10 points for his first double-figure performance of the season. It also marked a career-high. He tallied six boards and two assists.
Marco Smith led Omaha with five assists
Leaders for A&M – Corpus Christi
Terrion Murdix matched Hughes' game-high with 19 points for the Islanders. He was 6-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the line. Trevian Tennyson added 18 points on 5-of-12 from the field with two three pointers. He finished 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. Both players were off the bench for the Islanders.
Simeon Fryer scored 13, while De'Lazarus Keys scored 12. Fryer was one of four Islanders with a team-leading four rebounds. He also led the team with three assists.
Team Stats
Omaha shot 45.1 percent from the field and made seven three pointers on the night. A&M – Corpus Christi shot 50 percent and made seven threes. Omaha capitalized on offensive rebounds leading with 13 second chance points. The Islanders converted 24 points on Omaha's turnovers. They also led in points on the paint (36-26), fast break points (14-3), and bench points (50-20).
Inside the First Half
The Mavericks jumped out to an early 8-2 run with Hughes leading the run with five of the Omaha points. The Islanders slowly chipped away at the lead and got within one of Omaha at the 12:31 mark on a three-pointer from Tennyson. The game was tied 13-13 at 11:39 with a free throw from Stephen Faramade.
Devin Evans hit a three to pull away again, but the Islanders managed to tie it with another free throw from Tennyson, 16-16. Lemetti and Arop scored on back-to-back possessions for a five-point lead swing in Omaha's favor. At the 6:02 mark, the Islanders took a 24-23 edge on a Keys' jumper the last six minutes saw two more ties before a free throw from Smith held the lead for Omaha. At the break, Mavericks led 36-35.
Inside the Second Half
The Islanders took a permanent lead just over two minutes into the second half. The first points came on a pair of three throws from Fryer for a 37-36 edge. Fryer made it a six-point lead with a three before
Wanjang Tut connected for Omaha's first field goal of the second at the 16:49 mark. The Mavericks got within four of the Islanders three more times. The final time being at the 11:04 mark on a dunk by Hughes.
A&M – Corpus Christi responded with a 7-0 run sparked by a layup from Keys. A layup from Tennyson at the 2:23 mark gave the Islanders their largest lead of the game at 17 points. Lemetti responded with a three, while Ferrarini connected from long range shortly after to help cut it to 12 points. In the end, Mavericks fell, 87-73.
Noting Tonight's Game
-Saturday marked the third straight game of double-figures for Hughes. He scored a career-high 19 vs. the Islands. Against Drake and Eastern Washington, he scored 15 and 12 points, respectively.
-Hughes grabbed seven boards for a game-high. It was just one shy of his career-high.
-Lemetti scored double-figures in back-to-back games. He posted a career-high 14 points vs. Drake in addition to his 11 tonight.
-Tonight's game marked the third consecutive game with at least three Mavericks scoring double-digits.
Up Next
Omaha hits the road for their first away contest of the month. The Mavericks will play at UNLV on Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 9 p.m. CT. It marks the final non-conference game of the season.
Gary Sharp will have the call on 1180 KZOT. Links to the stream, audio, and live stats can be found on OMavs.com.
