AKRON, OHIO - The Mavericks kept it close all game and even got within three with a minute to go, but it was not enough as they were bested 92-84 by the host school Akron today in the Akron Basketball Classic.
Omaha drops to 2-5 on the season as the Zips improve to 3-2.
Leaders for Omaha
Marquel Sutton posted his second consecutive 20-point performance as he paced Omaha with 26 points tonight. His .571 FG% (8-for-14) was second behind
Lance Waddles' .583 (7-for-12) mark as he totaled 19 on the day. Waddles also pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the team and earn his first career double-double.
JJ White rounded out Omaha's trio of double-digit scorers with 16 points as he and Sutton went a combined 14-for-14 on free throws.
Team Stats
Omaha had one of its best shooting days of the season, posting a .518 FG% (29-for-56), only for the Zips to do slightly better at .530 (35-for-66.). Akron had the superior 3-PT FG% at .462 (18-for-39) to .316 (6-for-19), while the Mavericks had a huge lead in FT% at.909 (20-for-22) to .444 (4-for-9).
Omaha also had a healthy lead in rebounds with a 34 to 28 advantage.
Inside the First Half
Unlike previous games, the Mavericks got off to a slower start in the first before ramping up towards the end. Through the first 10 minutes Omaha had only recorded 15 points as they trailed 24-12. Waddles accounted for five of those, opening up the game with a layup before draining his first three at 16:46 to briefly give Omaha a 9-7 lead.
At 9:48, Waddles made one from behind the arc to jump start an 8-0 Omaha run that ended with a three from Sutton a minute and a half later to make it a four-point game. After a three-pointer from Akron's Nate Johnson got their lead back to eight at the six-minute mark, buckets from
Ja'Sean Glover, White, and Sutton cut it back down to three with three minutes to go. Sutton's layup got him into double figures for the day. Meanwhile, four more points from White were enough from Omaha to keep it close heading into the locker room as the Zips held a slim 40-36 lead.
Inside the Second Half
Sutton and Lance continued to produce early in the second as the duo scored all 11 of Omaha's points through the first four minutes as they kept the game close at 52-47. With points from
Isaac Ondekane and
Tony Osburn, the Mavericks were eventually able to make it a one-point game at 9:14 after a driving layup from Waddles made it 67-66.
90 seconds later, a three from
Kamryn Thomas would keep the Zips within one, but that proved to be as close as Omaha would get. Despite six-straight points from White, Akron's lead soon grew to eight points as the Zips made four 3-PT FGs in the closing minutes put the game out of reach.
Game Notes
- Sutton has now scored in double figures in every game this season after opening day.
- Waddles has played 64 career games before earning his first ever double-double tonight.
Up Next
The Mavericks will look to get in the win column in the Akron Basketball Classic tomorrow as they wrap up the tournament vs. Lamar at 11 a.m. (CT).
