OMAHA, Neb. – Head coach Chris Crutchfield's first win as a Maverick came Sunday in Omaha's home opener. The Mavericks were led by Frankie Fidler who notched his first career double-double with 28 points and 11 boards. Omaha edged Idaho, 79-72. 
 
The Mavericks improve to 1-2 overall. 
 
Leaders for Omaha 
Fidler scored a team-best 28 points Sunday. He also grabbed a game and career-high 11 rebounds. Fidler was 8-of-13 from the field and a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe. He filled the rest of the stat sheet with three assists, one steal, and one block. 
 
For the third straight game, Marquel Sutton scored double-figures. The sophomore forward scored 16 points on 4-of-10 from the field with three from long range. He fell short of a double-double with a season-high eight rebounds. JJ White matched his season-high six assists tonight. 
 
Leaders for Idaho 
Divant'e Moffitt led all-scorers with 29 points. He shot 50 percent from the field and three-point range while hitting 11-of-12 free throws. Moffitt and Terren Frank each tallied a team-best three assists. 
 
Yusef Salih added 13 points, while Nigel Burris scored 10. Burris and Frank grabbed seven boards each to lead the Vandals. 
 
Team Stats 
The Mavericks shot 48.2 percent from the field vs. the Vandals who shot 46.8 percent. Omaha hit only five three-point attempts, while Idaho connected on eight.  
 
Omaha converted Idaho's 17 turnovers into 30 points. The Mavericks also held advantage in the paint (34-26), second chance points (10-5), fast breaks (15-7). The Vandal bench outscored the Maverick bench, 21-18. 
 
Inside the First Half 
Omaha came out of the jump ball firing on all cylinders Sunday afternoon. The Mavericks used a 19-3 run over the first seven minutes to blow open the lead. Fidler scored the first five points of the run, while Sutton, La'Mel Robinson, and Tony Osburn all found contributions. Robinson's layup on the fast break at the 12:33 mark capped the run and forced an Idaho timeout. 
 
The Vandals scored a quick eight points out of the break and slowly started to chip away at the Maverick lead. A Jumper from Salih at the 7:11 mark got Idaho within 10, but the Mavericks used an 11-2 run to get the lead back to 21. Luke Jungers and Sutton hit late shots for Omaha, and the Mavericks took a 46-26 lead into halftime. 
 
Inside the Second Half 
The first half was all Omaha, but the second half was all Idaho to start. Moffitt hit a three 30 seconds into the action to provide a spark for the Vandals. He connected again from deep at the 15-minute mark to cut the lead to 16. Moffitt and the Vandals continued to counter the Omaha attempts keeping the game within 15 points, but a couple back-to-back buckets, including a three from Salih, got Idaho within nine with 8:28 on the clock. 
 
Fidler stretched the lead back to 14 with a three-pointer at the 6:23 mark, but it was matched by Trey Smith on the other end of the court with a layup. Nigel Burris drove in for a layup at the 5:10 mark, getting the Vandals within eight. Omaha wouldn't capture another double-digit lead for the remainder of the game. Smith and Moffitt scored four straight points making it a two-possession game with 1:48 on the clock. Salih converted on three from the charity stripe with 20 seconds left on the clock to trail but only three points. Fidler scored a quick four to end the half and hold on to the Maverick win, 79-72. 
 
Game Notes 
-This marked Coach Crutchfield's first career win with Omaha. 
-Fidler recorded the first 20-point performance of the season with a season-high 28 points. It was also the first double-double recorded by a Maverick this season. 
-His 11 rebounds were a career-high and the first time he's grabbed double-figures on the boards. 
 
Up Next 
Omaha returns to Baxter Arena this Wednesday. The Mavericks will play Ball State at 7:37 p.m. following the women's game at 5 p.m.