OMAHA, Neb. - On a day when
Marquel Sutton etched his name into the record books once again, the Mavericks stayed perfect in 2025 as they defeated the reigning Summit League Champion South Dakota State 87-80 to finish off the second week of conference play with a six-game winning streak intact to tie the program's Division I record.
With his second rebound of the day, Sutton officially reached 500 in his career. Not only is he now the 22nd Maverick in history and fourth to only play in the Division I era to reach this mark, but he is now just the 15th Maverick ever and fourth in the D1 era to total 1000 points and 500 boards.
For the first time since November 7, Omaha has a winning record as the team is now 10-9. At 4-0 to open conference play, the Mavericks have tied the 2015-16 team for the longest winning streak to open Summit League competition in program history. Meanwhile, the Jackrabbits drop to 10-8 with a 1-2 record in Summit League play. This win also snaps a 10-game losing streak against SDSU.
Leaders for Omaha
JJ White had the best offensive game of his career as he broke the 20-point mark for the first time ever with a new personal best of 24. He shot 50% from the field (8-for-16) and made a career-high four from behind the arc (4-for-5). White also paced the Mavericks with seven assists.
Sutton tied White with 24 points after shooting 8-for-12. In addition to this he led the team with eight rebounds.
Lance Waddles just missed becoming the third Maverick to score 20 today as he ended the game with 19 points.
Team Stats
Both teams were almost equal on shooting, with the Jackrabbits slightly edging out the Mavericks 50.0% (29-for-58) to 48.2% (27-for-56) on field goals. Both teams were equal on free throws at 66.7% each, though, Omaha had greater volume at 22-for-33 to 14-for-21. The Mavericks did hold a sizable lead in three-point shooting today at 44.0% (11-for-25) to 32.0% (8-for-25).
SDSU managed to hold the advantage in rebounding at 34 to 31, but Omaha turned the ball over less with seven turnovers vs. 10.
Inside the First Half
Following a 6-0 Jackrabbits run to start the day, Sutton took things into his own hands by scoring all nine of Omaha's points before the clock even hit 15:00 to cut SDSU's lead to 11-9. After SDSU extended their lead to 17-13 by the 12-minute mark, buckets from Waddles and Sutton, the latter getting into double figures on the day, tied it up at 17-17 with nine to play.
The Jackrabbits again managed to put a little distance between them and the Mavericks as they took a 27-22 lead into the final five minutes. During this time, though, Sutton was able to pull down his second rebound of the day at 6:56 to officially reach 500 in his career.
Inside of four minutes remaining and down by four, the Mavericks got hot at the perfect time and went on a 13-0 run through to the end of the half. Waddles scored seven of those 13, including back-to-back threes at 3:21 and 2:48 to initially tie it and later put Omaha in front for the first time today. With the clock winding down, White would cap off the run with a buzzer beater from the right side to make it 38-29.
Inside the Second Half
Thomas made it 16 straight points for Omaha with his first three-pointer of the day a minute into the half. After SDSU finally ended the run, Sutton, Thomas, and White would all add another from behind the arc over the next few minutes to make it 50-33 with under 16 to go. A minute later, White would make his second three of the day to give Omaha five-straight to begin the half.
After Omaha peaked with a 17-point lead at 14:00, SDSU proceeded to outscore the Mavericks 17-5 over the next five minutes to cut their lead down to five at 61-56. It did not take long for Omaha to retake control of the court, though, scoring 10 of the next 14 to regrow the lead to 11 with five minutes to play. The Jackrabbits would continue to threaten in the waning minutes of the game, but thanks in large part ot another nine points from White, Omaha held them off for the win.
Game Notes
- Four Mavericks made multiple three-pointers today: White (four), Sutton (three), Thomas (two), and Waddles (two).
- Sutton now has nine 20-point games this season and 14 in his career.
- Waddles became the third Maverick of the year to reach 200 points, reaching the milestone for the first time in his career.
Up Next
The Mavericks only have one game next week when they fly out to Colorado to face Denver on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (CT).
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