OMAHA, NEB. - Following a dramatic comeback win in overtime, the Mavericks host South Dakota to close out the 2024-2025 home slate Thursday. Tip-off at Baxter Arena is 7:05 p.m. CT. Tickets are available at OMavs.com/tix. 

Despite a roster limited to just seven available players last Saturday, Omaha (11-15, 3-10 in Summit League) overcame a 16-point first half deficit before topping Denver in OT 80-77 last Saturday. Senior Grace Cave, playing with a severe cold, scored Omaha's final nine points in regulation, including back-to-back threes to send the game to the extra period.Omaha has won two of their last three games. 

Thursday night's game will be the final home appearance in the careers of five Mavericks. Fifth-year Katie Keitges will appear in her 122nd game, moving into fifth place all-time in games played for Omaha. Only one player (Elena Pilakouta, 126 games, 2018-23) has appeared in more games in the Mavericks DI Era. Cave will be playing in her 110th game and starting her 90th while Morgann Gardner will appear in her 104th game as a Maverick. Aaliyah Moore and Ja Harvey have played just one season after transferring to Omaha in the NCAA portal.

• Cave continues to pace the Mavericks in scoring with a career-high 15.1 ppg (9th in the Summit) to go along with 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists (5th in the Summit) and 1.68 steals per game (7th), followed by senior Ja Harvey at 13.7 ppg (13th), 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg (12th) and 1.9 spg (4th). In Summit League games only, Cave averages 17.23 ppg and Harvey 15.2 ppg.

• On the season, Cave has posted a team-leading six 20+ scoring performances, leading the Mavs in scoring 14 times, including a career-high 29 points against Kansas City (2/8/25). Her 1.10 assist to turnover ratio is eighth best in the Summit League. 

• Freshman Harriet Ford is coming off two of the most prolific rebounding games in school history. After grabbing a career-high 17 boards to go with 12 points at Kansas City (2/08), the center from Perth, Western Australia nabbed 18 boards and ten points in the win over Denver. Her 18 rebound effort against the Pioneers equals the most in a single game during the school's DI Era, giving her four double-doubles on the year.  Ford trails only USD's Grace Larkins in rebounding among Summit League teams. 

• Ford is third in scoring among active players, leading the team with 8.3 rebounds per game to go with 8.0 ppg and a team-leading 49% shooting from the field. Her 18 rebound performance is the most of any player in a Summit League game this season.

• Sparkplug Ja Harvey has led the Mavericks in scoring eight times this season. The senior from San Diego leads the team in three-point shooting percentage at 37.5%, including 38% (11-29) in league games. A two-time JUCO All-American, Harvey was named the Summit League Peak Newcomer of the Month for December, scoring double-digits in each game, leading the team in scoring three times and averaging a team-best 16.2 ppg during that span. In December, she led her team in points, ppg, field goals made and three pointers made, steals and minutes played while sinking 19 of 20 free throws. 

• Senior transfer Aaliyah Moore is fourth among active scorers and continues to be one of the team's most versatile performers, with 6.0 ppg, and 4.7 rpg while shooting 44.5% from the field. Starting 15 games, Moore has played in all 26 to this point, one of only three Mavericks to do so this season (Morgann Gardner, Katie Keiges). 

• Moore has six double-figure games including three double-doubles this season (21/14 vs. St. Mary; 12/11 vs. Kansas City; 2/15 vs. Denver).

• With injuries piling up, the Mavericks roster is down to eleven active players, notably the losses of third-leading scorer sophomore Cora Olsen and freshman Paige Horne to season-ending injuries. Making the roster even thinner are illnesses and day-to-day injuries to junior Lauren Perry, who started her second game as a Maverick against Kansas City, and Mar Vidal, a valuable defender and playmaker off the bench. 

• Against Bellevue University, Cave surpassed the 1,000 point plateau for her Mavericks career, the 29th in overall school history to do so. She since has moved up to 13th (1,228), second in the school's Division I Era (games since the school began the move to NCAA Division I in 2011). Mikaela Shaw's Division I total is out of reach (1,809, 2013-2017).

• Coming up on her ninth year as a member of the Army National Guard, Specialist Ja Harvey recently met with and was honored by Nebraska Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Craig W. Strong, and State Command Sergeant Major, Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Krecklow. They were visiting the UNO campus and requested the meeting to honor the 27-year-old Harvey for her service and to commend her leadership as a student-athlete while serving her country in the National Guard.  

• Alana Powell's half-court buzzer-beater to close out the third quarter against Bellevue was featured on the ESPN SportsCenter Top Ten plays at number three after the win. 

• Both Cave and fifth-year Katie Keitges crossed career milestones this season from behind the arc. In addition to her climb in career points, Grace has 125 career three-pointers, ranking 5th in the Mavs DI Era. With 119 career 3-pointers, Katie is sixth.

• The University of Nebraska (NU) System mourns the passing of Howard L. Hawks, whose leadership and generosity has created a lasting legacy on the university system, the state of Nebraska and well beyond. Regent Emeritus Hawks, alongside his wife Rhonda, dedicated decades of leadership, philanthropy and service to advancing higher education, athletics and community well-being across Nebraska. To honor Hawks, Mavericks women's basketball uniforms feature a patch carrying his initials, HH.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota (11-16, 5-8) is coming off a 71-61 loss at South Dakota State where they raced out to a 17-6 lead before falling to SDSU. The Jackrabbits clinched a share of the Summit League regular season title with the win. The Coyotes are led by one of the nation's top scorers, Grace Larkins, who surpassed 2,000 career points in the game. She averages 24.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Omaha is aware of her ability to take over a game. In Vermillion earlier this year she scored a school-record 45 points in the 'Yotes 71-66 win over Omaha. 

LISTEN/WATCH/FOLLOW
Omaha games can be heard on the Omaha Sports Network from Learfield via The Varsity Network app/website and over the air on 1180 AM The Zone 2. All remaining Mavericks regular season games will be televised on the Summit League Network. Brent Weber handles the play-by-play for the Mavericks. The FNBO Pregame Show begins 15:00 prior to tip-off.

Connect with Omaha women's basketball on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram, @OmahaWBB.

Links are available on the OMavs.com schedule page. Tickets are available for all Mavericks home games at OMavs.com/tix.