AKRON, OHIO - In the final day of the Akron Basketball Classic, the Mavericks picked up their first win of the tournament as they held on to defeat Lamar 65-59.
Omaha will end its time in the tournament with a 1-2 record, bringing its season mark to 3-5. As for the Cardinals, they go winless in the classic to drop to 1-6 on the year.
Leaders for Omaha
Marquel Sutton put the finishing touches on his All-Tournament Team winning performance this weekend as he turned in his seventh consecutive double-digit scoring performance with 13 points today, along with nine rebounds. Leading the way for Omaha, though, was
Tony Osburn who scored a season-high 23 thanks to five 3-PT FGs.
Ja'Sean Glover was also in double figures with 14 points and made three from behind the arc.
Team Stats
While Omaha was slightly outshot from the field .357 (20-for-56) to .377 (20-for-53), the Mavericks were superior from deep at .522 (12-for-23) to .458 (11-for-24). Both teams were about even on free throws with Omaha shooting .722 (13-for-18) and Lamar going .727 (8-for-11).
The Mavericks were also better at the glass today with 39 rebounds to 33.
Inside the First Half
Once again the Mavericks were first on the board thanks to a three-pointer from Osburn 20 seconds in. The deep ball proved to be a huge factor in the opening half as Omaha went 8-for-14 from behind the arc, scoring 24 of its 32 points. Osburn and Glover each made a trio of threes.
With the Mavericks trailing 10-5 with just over 15 minutes to play, they suddenly went on a massive tear over the next seven minutes, outscoring the Cardinals 27-7. Glover and Osburn led the way with nine and eight points, respectively, while
JJ White and
Kamryn Thomas each contributed a three as the team went 7-for-8 from beyond the arc during this run. Leading 32-17 at this point, Omaha only managed one more point over the final eight minutes of the half, as Lamar added nine to cut the lead to 32-26.
Inside the Second Half
Osburn made two more 3-PT FGs in the first 60 seconds, before
Lance Waddles scored his first a minute later to grow the lead to 10 at 42-32. Though the Cardinals went on to outscore the Mavericks 12-3 through to the 11th minute, Osburn and Sutton scored seven straight to make it 52-44 with under 10 minutes remaining.
With 1:25 left in the game, Lamar rode a late wave of momentum to eventually pull within one at 60-59. Fortunately, the Mavericks were able to close it out this time as they scored five unanswered to hang on for the win.
Game Notes
- In three games this weekend, Sutton totaled 61 points and 29 rebounds.
- With this win, Omaha officially ends its seven-game road trip having gone 2-5.
Up Next
The Mavericks finally return home to Baxter Arena this Saturday at 7:05 p.m. when they close out the first month of the season with a game against Abilene Christian.
