OMAHA, Neb. - Lance Waddles hit six 3-pointers, including five in the first half, as Omaha Men's Basketball led nearly from start to finish in an 83-76 win over Denver on Sunday afternoon at Baxter Arena on CBS Sports Network.
Waddles was one of five Mavericks in double figures with 21 points as he went 6 of 6 from behind the 3-point line.
The win moves Omaha (14-14, 7-6) into sole possession of fourth place in the Summit League with three regular-season games remaining. The Mavericks also snapped Denver's three-game winning streak.
Waddles had scored in double figures in only three of Omaha's first 13 conference games, but he turned in his best league game of the season Sunday.
"I think it was all the work I've put in recently. I've been missing recently, but I've been getting back in the gym. I've been more focused and intentional in getting my shots, working on my form," Waddles said.
The other Mavericks in double figures were
Paul Djobet, who scored 13 of his 16 points in the first half,
Ja'Sean Glover added 12 points off the bench and
Grant Stubblefield contributed 11 points and five assists.
And
Valentino Simon, coming off a career-high 21 points during Thursday's win over St. Thomas, got another start at center and provided the Mavericks with energy and production in his 30 minutes as he finished with 11 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Omaha started the day shooting well from the field and the Mavericks stayed that way throughout the first half in building a double-digit lead.
Omaha hit nine of its first 12 shots to lead 24-14 less than eight minutes into the game. That included a pair of breakaway layups by
Tony Osburn and Djobet as Omaha turned steals into easy baskets. Osburn finished the day with eight points and four steals.
The lead grew to 46-34 when Waddles hit his fifth 3-pointer of the half, sinking a shot from the left corner as the Mavericks scored in transition.
Omaha was 19 of 31 from the field in the first half, including seven threes. The Mavericks couldn't maintain that torrid pace in the second half, but they always came up with an answer whenever Denver threatened.
Denver scored with 5:15 left to pull within 70-67, but Omaha regained momentum on the next three possessions as Stubblefield scored twice in the lane before Djobet drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:40 left for a 10-point lead.
"I think we just stayed poised down the stretch, making sure we got our shots and didn't turn the ball over," Waddles said.
Omaha was out-rebounded 38-26 on the day, but the Mavericks committed only seven turnovers on the day against 20 assists.
Denver never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
Omaha will play its home finale Wednesday against Oral Roberts as the Mavericks celebrate Senior Night.
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