OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha women's basketball team began its weekend series vs. North Dakota with a 73-61 victory at Baxter Arena on Friday night.
 
The win propels the Mavericks to 3-11 (2-7 Summit League) on the season while the Fighting Hawks drop to 2-18 (2-12).
 
Leaders for Omaha
Josie Filer garnered her first double-double of the season with game-high totals of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Claire Killian scored in double-figures for the fifth straight game, scoring 15 points with seven rebounds while shooting a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.
 
Elena Pilakouta had nine points, followed by Lauren Frost with eight points and four boards and Sophie Johnston with seven points and five rebounds.
 
Leaders for North Dakota
Kacie Borowicz was the lone Fighting Hawk in double-figures with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor. Jaclyn Jarnot tallied eight points and nine rebounds while Julia Fleecs collected nine points and seven boards. Mikayla Reinke and Claire Orth added eight points apiece.
 
Team Stats
Omaha shot 39.2% (20-of-51) to North Dakota's 34.2% (25-of-73). The Mavericks had 13 assists on 20 baskets and shot 6-of-18 from three-point range and 27-of-34 from the free throw line.
 
UND posted a 44-40 advantage in rebounding over the Mavericks and outscored Omaha in second chance points, 16-9.
 
Inside the First Quarter
UND led 11-6 through the first seven minutes before baskets by Frost and Pilakouta capped the quarter with a 11-10 Fighting Hawk advantage. Defense had the upperhand early as Omaha shot 25 percent from the floor while limiting North Dakota to 23.5 percent shooting in the first ten minutes.
 
Inside the Second Quarter
The Fighting Hawks got a layup by Borowicz with 7:23 left to take their final lead of the game at 13-12. Omaha responded with a trey by Frost and a fast break three-pointer by Akili Felici to grab an 18-13 advantage.
 
Five consecutive points by Filer on a couple free throws and a trey expanded the Maverick lead to 27-17. Frost converted the old-fashioned three-point play to send Omaha into the half with a 30-20 lead.
 
Inside the Third Quarter
Riding the momentum from the second quarter, the Mavericks sprinted out to 21-point lead with a 15-4 run to start the second half. Trailing by as many as 21, UND trimmed into the deficit to get within 14 before the Mavericks finished the third with a 51-36 lead.
 
Omaha shot 57.1 percent from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range in the third quarter. The Mavericks assisted on six of eight field goals while Sarah Schmitt handed out a team-high three assists in the quarter.
 
Inside the Fourth Quarter
With a 53-38 Omaha lead, North Dakota went on an 8-0 run in a two-minute span to get within seven at 53-46 with 6:06 left. As a team, the Mavericks shot 80 percent from the free throw line to prevent the Fighting Hawks from getting any closer than a seven-point deficit.
 
Omaha shot 16-of-20 from the charity stripe, led by Killian's perfect 10-for-10 effort in the quarter.
 
What's Next
Omaha and North Dakota close the regular season series tomorrow at Baxter Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. and Saturday also marks Senior Day for the Mavericks' four seniors, Juliana Chagas, Mikaela Ekdahl, Sophie Johnston and Claire Killian.