OMAHA, Neb. - Omaha's
Tony Osburn hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds left before North Dakota State's Damari Wheeler-Thomas drove the length of the floor and made a layup at the buzzer to give the Bison a 78-76 win Saturday afternoon at Baxter Arena.
Omaha trailed 76-73 when Osburn hit a leaning 3-pointer from the left wing. But after a timeout, Wheeler-Thomas was able to race down the right side of the court and got his layup to fall for the win.
Omaha led for about 37 minutes on the day before NDSU's Treyson Anderson made a layup with 1:25 left to make it 74-73. NDSU also added a jumper with 23 seconds left before Osburn drained his trey.
Osburn finished with 16 points, while
Paul Djobet led the Mavs with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Christian Richardson made a career high nine field goals as he was 9 of 10 from the field and added 21 points.
With the win, North Dakota State, which shot 69.2% from the field in the second half, improves to 14-5 and 4-0 in the Summit League. Omaha falls to 8-11 and 1-3.
Omaha played with the lead most of the way as it scored 12 straight to grab a 14-5 lead five minutes into the game. That included back-to-back 3-pointers from guard
Lance Waddles, who previously played for North Dakota State.
The Bison never got closer than five the rest of the half as the duo of Richardson and Djobet triggered Omaha's offense.
The 7-foot-1 Richardson controlled the paint as he hit all six of his field goal attempts and had 16 points at the break.
Meanwhile, Djobet scored Omaha's last seven points of the half. His 3-pointer from the right wing with 20 seconds left gave him 14 points and the Mavs a 44-32 lead.
But North Dakota State found its offensive rhythm after halftime. Down 54-42 with 14 minutes to play, NDSU caught the Mavs at 64-64 with seven minutes remaining. At that point, the Bison were 13 of 17 (76.4%) from the field in the second half.
Omaha was up 73-69 after two Djobet free throws with 3:48 left. But the Mavs failed to score on their next four possessions before Osburn buried his three with 5.7 seconds.
Omaha outrebounded the Bison 30-21 and
Grant Stubblefield added seven points and seven assists for the Mavs.
Omaha is off until Jan. 17 when it plays at Oral Roberts.
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