Wichita, Kan. – The Omaha Mavericks drop the lead in the fourth quarter to Wichita State. The Mavericks fell 92-86.
Omaha drops to a 1-4 overall record on the season.
Leaders For Omaha
In today’s game, six different Mavericks put up double digits in points. Scoring was led by Polina Nikulochkina, pacing the Mavericks with 18 points, going 5-of-7 on field goals and 7-of-11 on free throws. Nikulochkina also led the team with three steals and one block. Grace Cave and Kennedi Grant each tallied five assists to lead Omaha.
Leaders for Wichita State
Salese Blow led the Shockers after putting up 19 points, going 6-of-10 field goals. Abies and Thompson paced the team with eight rebounds and one block each. Four different Shockers tallied one steal, putting up a total of four against Omaha.
Team Stats
Omaha shot a 46.8% (29-of-62) to Wichita State’s 56.5% (35-of-62). The Mavericks trailed 21.4% (3-of-14) to 26.7% (4-of-15). Omaha also trailed on the free throw line (61%, 25-of-41 vs. 62.1%, 18-of-29).
Inside the First Quarter
The Mavericks started off trailing 5-0 to Wichita State. Aaliyah Stanley made the first bucket for Omaha at 8:26 with a jumper in the paint, assisted by Cave. At 4:03 Nikulochkina made a three-point jumper with an assist from Grant to put the Mavericks within a two-point margin. Stanley sunk a free-throw at the end of the quarter to give the Mavericks their 25th point.
The Shockers held the lead over the Mavericks in the first quarter after a quick 5-0 start. They were held to making just 1-of-6 three-pointers, shooting a 16.7% behind the arc. Ornella Niankan led the quarter with seven points. After being tied at 24, Ella Anciaux made a fast break layup to give the Shockers the lead 26-25 at the end of the first.
Inside the Second Quarter
Stanley gave the Mavericks their first lead of the night with two free throws in the opening minute of the second. Her free throws were the start of a six point scoring streak for Omaha. Up by seven at 7:31 the Mavericks were rolling with the momentum. A layup by Deanay Watson at 5:27 put the Mavericks up by eight. Grant finished out the half with two good free throws to put Omaha at 44 points.
Wichita State wasn’t able to get their first basket in the second quarter until 7:09. After an offensive rebound by Thompson, Salese Blow made a three-point jumper on a fast break to get the score within one at 1:27. After giving up two free throws to Omaha, the half ended 44-41 in the Mavericks favor.
Inside the Third Quarter
Lucy Ghaifan got the second half started with a layup in the paint at 9:32. Grant got the lead up to five after a bucket from behind the arc with an assist credited to Cave at 3:05. Grant also made a jumper in the paint at 0:13 to seal a six point lead at the end of the third. Ghaifan led quarter with eight points, going 4-of-5 on her field goal attempts.
The Shockers got the first points of the quarter after a layup by Abies, putting them within one of the Mavericks. They shot a 70% in the third, going 7-of-10 on the field goals, but were held to just one three pointer. Niankan totaled put up seven points after going 5-of-6 on the free throw line.
Inside the Fourth Quarter
The Mavericks struggled in the fourth, as they had their lowest scoring quarter and gave up the most points. Omaha maintained their lead until 8:01 after giving up a three-pointer. Nikulochkina tied it back up at 76 with a free-throw. The fourth quarter was led by Nikulochkina with seven points, going 2-of-three on field goals and 3-of-4 on free throws. Watson went 4-of-4 on the free throw line, accounting for over half her six total points in the fourth.
Wichita State caught up to the Mavericks with 29 points in the final quarter. A three-point jumper by Jobe gave the Shockers the lead back after being down since the first quarter. Two free throws with 0:09 on the clock, sealed the win with 92 points.
Next Up
The Mavericks will return to action next week on Monday, Nov. 27 at Baxter Arena for a 5 p.m. tip-off against Cal State Bakersfield.
UNO Women lose to Wichita State
