OMAHA, Neb. - The Mavericks lost their first home game of the season Tuesday night when No. 16 Creighton defeated them 93-71 in Baxter Arena.
The Mavericks fall to 3-2 on the season, while the Bluejays remain undefeated at 5-0.
Leaders For Omaha
Aaliyah Stanley led the Mavericks with 15 points today, going 6-for-12 (50%) on field goals, including a couple of three pointers. This is her second game of the season with 10+ points. She also led the team with five total rebounds.
Jaylen Townsend was second on the team with 13 points, her first time scoring double-digits. Her three 3-PT FGs were the most on the team, as were her three assists.
Elena Pilakouta continued her streak of consecutive matches scoring double digits as she dropped 10 today, giving her five straight matches with at least 10 points.
Kennedi Grant (12 points) and
Grace Cave (10) also reached double digits tonight.
Leaders for Creighton
Emma Ronsiek led all players today with 26 points, going 8-for-14 (57.1%) on field goals, including 5-for-8 (62.5%) from three.
Lauren Jensen was right behind her with 20 points, while Carly Bachelor had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Team Stats
The Mavericks went 25-for-62 (40.3%) on field goals, vs. Creighton at 36-for-63 (57.1%). They were much closer in three-pointers, though, with Creighton (12-for-19, 41.4%) holding a slim lead over Omaha (7-for-17, 41.2%). The Mavericks actually bested the Bluejays on free throws, shooting 14-for-16 (87.5%), vs. 9-for-11 (81.8%).
Omaha's bench also outscored Creighton's, topping them 24 to 15.
Inside the First Quarter
Omaha kept it close in the first quarter, ultimately trailing by just four points as they ended the half down 20-16.
At 7:20, Omaha briefly took the lead after a layup from Pilakouta made it 6-5 Mavericks. Though the Bluejays retook control of the court shortly after, Grant kept Omaha in the game with a three-pointer at 5:02 to make it 15-11. Townsend would score the final points of the period on a shot from behind the arc at 1:10.
Inside the Second Quarter
Creighton started to pull away from Omaha in the second, starting things off with a 6-0 scoring run that saw Morgan Maly and Ronsiek both pick up three points.
The Mavericks were able to make up some ground in the second half of the quarter after being outscored 13-4 in the first five minutes.
Morgann Gardner started things off with a jumper at 4:52, before Stanley went on a six-point tear with a couple of rebounds to give Omaha a 10-8 scoring advantage in the final five minutes.
Inside the Third Quarter
Omaha scored 22 points in the third quarter, their most of the day. Grant scored another three-pointer at 5:53, followed a few seconds later by Townsend who drained a three at 5:15.
Where the Mavericks really shined this period was from the foul line, as they made 10 free throws in the final five minutes. Grant led the way with five from the charity stripe, followed by Cave who went 3-for-3 after getting fouled on a three-pointer. Pilakouta scored the last two at 1:14 to cut the deficit down to 14 points.
Inside the Fourth Quarter
Omaha had a lot of momentum during the first half of the quarter, even outscoring the Bluejays 16-12. Townsend dropped seven points in the first three and a half minutes, including another from behind the arc, while Stanley was right behind her with five points, including her second three-pointer of the day.
Unfortunately, with Omaha trailing 81-68 at the 5-minute mark, Creighton went on a 12-0 to end the rally and put the game away for good.
Next Up
With their four-game home stand at an end, the Mavericks will hit the road for four games, starting Sunday when they head to Nashville, Tennessee for a 1-p.m. bout with Tennessee State.
