Tipping Off
Following a 13-point comeback victory on Thursday, the Mavericks close out the first week of February this Saturday at 2 p.m. when they head over to Macomb, Illinois to close out the season series with Western Illinois.

The game can be heard on 1180 The Zone with Jon Schriner on the call. Links to live stats, audio and video are available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits

• The Mavericks snapped a four-game skid on Thursday when they began their road trip with a stunning, come-from-behind 58-54 win at St. Thomas to sweep the season series. Omaha improved to 10-13 overall and 5-7 in the Summit League, marking the first time since the 2017-18 season that they have reached double-digit wins and the first time since 2016-17 that they have won at least five conference games.
• On Thursday, the Mavericks outshot the Tommies in overall FG% at 42.6% (20-for-47) to 37.0% (20-for-54), and also led them in 3-PT FG% at 37.5% (6-for-16) to 21.1% (4-for-19). Omaha also dominated the turnover game, outstealing St. Thomas 15 to 11 and scoring 16 points off turnovers vs. just 11 for the Tommies.
• Grace Cave led the Mavericks with 18 points on Thursday, shooting 5-for-7 (.714) and going 3-for-3 from behind the arc, as well as leading the team with six total rebounds. She also had three steals and an assist, giving her 39 and 67 on the season, respectively, with both ranking in the top 10 in the Summit League.
• Morgann Gardner topped 10 points for the first time since November 16 vs. Weber State with a career-high 12 at St. Thomas.
• Aaliyah Stanley earned her 12th double-digit scoring game of the season with 10 points on Thursday, bringing her to 276 on the season as she closes in on 300. Her five assists were also a team high.
• Kennedi Grant had a big day defensively as she recorded five steals, the most on the team and the most she's ever had in a conference game.
• Elena Pilakouta officially topped 1100 career points after scoring nine points at St. Thomas to reach 1101. She is now 21st on Omaha's all-time scoring leaderboard and only needs two more to break into the top 20.

Scouting the Leathernecks
The Leathernecks are 8-15 with a 3-9 record in the conference, picking up wins against South Dakota (76-67), Kansas City (78-68), and St. Thomas (77-75). Their week began with a 61-72 loss to Denver.

In the first game of the series this year, Western Illinois held a slim 35-32 lead at the end of the first half, but the Mavericks rallied over the final 20 minutes to outscore them 44-29. 

Junior guard Anna Deets slots in at eighth in the Summit League scoring leaderboard with 283 points (12.3 PPG). Her .821 FT% makes the top 10 as well. She also set a career high with 35 points a couple weeks ago vs. Kansas City. In WIU's first meeting with Omaha this year, Deets had a double-double with team highs in points (16) and rebounds (15).

Senior center Alissa Dins comes in at fifth in the league with 161 rebounds (7.0 RPG) and is tied for second  in blocked shots with 28. At Omaha this season, Dins scored eight points and pulled down five rebounds.

Graduate student guard Elizabeth Lutz is currently fourth in the conference with 41 steals, having eight games this season with at least three steals. She also paces the Leathernecks with 59 assists. Lutz had two assists, two rebounds, and to points against the Mavericks this year.

Head Coach JD Gravina is in his 12th season leading the Leathernecks and owns a 178-176 record. In his full career spanning 18 seasons he owns a 292-237 career record, notching wins with McPhearson and Quincy before coming to WIU.

All-Time Against Western Illinois
The Mavericks are 7-15 all-time against the Leathernecks, picking up the win in their first meeting this season 76-64 at Baxter Arena. Stanley led Omaha with 20 points in that game, followed by Cave with 16, Grant with 15, and Sam Mitchell with 12 points. Mitchell also had a team-high four steals, while Pilakouta paced the Mavericks with eight total rebounds.