VERMILLION, S.D. - In the final game of 2023, the Mavericks took an early lead and never looked back as they downed South Dakota 67-51 in the New Year's Eve matchup.
Omaha picks up its first road win of the season and ends the calendar year at 7-8 overall and 1-1 in the Summit League, while the Coyotes drop to 8-7 and 1-1 in the conference.
Leaders for Omaha
Frankie Fidler had another dominant performance on the court, leading the Mavericks with 27 points after shooting 8-for-15 and going 9-for-9 from the stripe. He again led the team in steals as well, recording three.
JJ White and
Marquel Sutton both scored double-digits as well, each making five baskets totaling 11 and 13 points, respectively.
Nick Davis had another multi-block game with two, while
Tony Osburn crashed the boards for a team-high eight rebounds, tying his career best.
Leaders for South Dakota
Lahat Thioune and Kaleb Stewart were the Coyotes' leading scorers with 12 points each, as Thioune also pulled down 15 boards to earn a double-double,
Team Stats
The Mavericks held massive leads in every shooting category, besting the Coyotes in FG% (41.4% to 32.7%), 3-PT FG% (26.3 to 22.2), and FT% (87.5% to 50.0%). Omaha was also significantly more effective from short, scoring 32 in the paint vs. just 22 for USD, as well as converting on more turnovers, scoring 14 points to just two for the opposition.
Inside the First Half
The Mavericks got of to a blistering 11-0 start, led by Fidler who went 2-for-3 from the field and 3-for-3 on free throws within the first four minutes, while a strong defensive effort at the glass led by White helped keep the ball in Omaha's possession. After the Coyotes finally got on the board at 16:07, the Mavericks responded by scoring seven straight points over the next two minutes, with Fidler adding five more to get him to double-digits on the day.
Heading into the final 10 minutes, USD started to recover from its slow start and managed to cut Omaha's lead to 23-14, with Fidler accounting for 15 of those 23 points. With 6:34 to go and the Mavericks lead now at just 26-19, White connected with Osburn who drilled one from behind the arc to shift momentum back in Omaha's favor. White would add a jumper of his own 30 seconds later, before Fidler came up with a huge block to set up
Ja'Sean Glover for an easy bucket at 5:05 to get the lead back to double-digits at 33-23. Another basket each for Fidler, White, and Sutton would send the Mavericks to the half up 39-25.
Inside the Second Half
After being held scoreless through the first two and a half minutes, Fidler got Omaha started in the second with six consecutive points, beginning with his second triple of the day at 17:24 to get him to 20 points. White would later become the second Maverick to reach double-digits on the day on a wide-open three at 13:17. With 11:41 on the clock, off a Fidler steal, White made a perfect pass to Glover who went up and made it 54-34.
Following the Glover bucket, Omaha was held scoreless over the next few minutes until a layup from Sutton at 7:02 got them back on the board. At just over five minutes remaining, Fidler got fouled in the paint and went to the line for two, nailing both to bring him to 1100 career points. With the game winding down,
Biko Johnson came in and delivered the dagger with a deep three to make it 67-44 and effectively ice the game with two minutes left.
Game Notes
- The Mavericks' aggressive play in the paint culminated in 14 fastbreak points while holding USD to just four.
- Entering the day in 31st place on the program's all-time scoring list with 1075 career points, Fidler is now tied for 25th on the leaderboard at 1102 points.
- Omaha turned the ball over just six times today, tied for the least by the team this year. Conversely, the Coyotes gave it away 13 times.
Up Next
The Mavericks will have a brief break in conference action when they open 2024 with their first game of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge when they host Northern Arizona on Wednesday, January 3, at 7 p.m. in Baxter.
