OMAHA, Neb. -- Behind double-doubles from its two seniors, the Omaha men's basketball team put together an inspired performance Friday night to top North Dakota 72-62 at Baxter Arena.
It was the Mavericks' first Summit League win of the season and preserves Omaha's 13-game series win streak over UND, in place since 2007.
Leaders for Omaha
Matt Pile's fourth double-double of the year came on team highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds alongside three assists and three blocks.
Ayo Akinwole notched the second double-double of his career with 15 points and 10 boards, adding a game-high six assists and two steals. He was a perfect 6-of-6 at the line.
La'Mel Robinson also scored in double figures, finishing with 16 points with a pair of rebounds and four steals.
Nick Ferrarini,
Marco Smith and
Jadin Booth all chipped in eight points apiece. Ferrarini grabbed six rebounds, and Smith had five more.
Leaders for North Dakota
Filip Rebraca led all scorers with 22 points, pulling down 13 rebounds for a double-double. Caleb Nero (13) and Ethan Igbanugo (10) also scored in double figures, and Tyree Ihenacho tallied 11 caroms.
Team Stats
Omaha shot 42.6% (26-of-61) to North Dakota's 35.8% (24-of-67), and the Mavericks finished at 77.8% (14-of-18) from the stripe. UND narrowly outrebounded Omaha 43-41.
Omaha limited itself to eight turnovers for the night.
Inside the First Half
Pile came out with a vengeance, accounting for 10 points and nine boards in the opening 20 minutes. Robinson added another 10 points, and Akinwole had eight.
A 7-0 run late in the half spurred the Mavericks to their largest lead with 4:59 to play, when Smith hit back-to-back buckets and Robinson swiped a bad pass for a layup that put them up 16.
Omaha led 41-33 at the break.
Inside the Second Half
UND managed to whittle the lead down in the second half, going ahead 45-44 before a Booth triple righted the ship. A Nero three put the Fighting Hawks up one final time before Booth countered with another trey to put Omaha in the lead for good.
UND went silent for more than seven minutes starting at the nine-minute mark. Omaha was a perfect 6-of-6 at the line over the final 24 seconds, sealing the win at 72-62.
Noting Tonight's Game
-Omaha has now won 13 straight in the series with North Dakota since 2007. In their Division I era, the Mavericks are 9-0 against UND, including 5-0 in Omaha.
-Tonight's win moves Omaha to 3-18 (1-10 Summit League) on the season, snapping a 14-game losing skid.
-North Dakota drops to 8-16 (7-8) on the year.
-Omaha led for a season-long 38:32.
Up Next
Omaha and North Dakota conclude the weekend on Saturday, Feb. 20, with tip set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena. Gary Sharp and Kyler Erickson will have the radio call on 1290 KOIL, and links to video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as the Mavericks will honor
Ayo Akinwole and
Matt Pile with Senior Day festivities prior to the game.
