Omaha, NE. – The Omaha Mavericks took down the Tennessee State Lady Tigers in their 2021-22 home opener Thursday afternoon 67-56. It was the second straight victory for the Mavericks (2-4) led by double-doubles from Kennedi Grant and Mariah Murdie.
Leaders For Omaha
Murdie led the Mavericks in scoring and rebounding with 16 points and 13 boards, it was her first double-double of the season and sixth of her career. Grant in just her second collegiate start, scored 13 points off the bench and hauled in 11 rebounds, both career highs, for the first double-double of her Maverick career. Elena Pilakouta followed up her 32-point outing at UIC with another strong performance, scoring 13 points and gathering seven rebounds.
Leaders for Tennessee State
Gia Adams led the Lady Tigers with 17 points including three buckets from beyond the arc. Dominique Claytor hauled in a team-high eight rebounds to go along with her team-best five assists.
Team Stats
The Omaha defense was particularly strong against the Lady Tigers, holding Tennessee State to just 28.4 (19-67) percent from the field. The Mavericks shot 46.2 (24-52) percent from the field and were strong on the glass recording 45 rebounds to the Lady Tigers’ 36 and outscored Tennessee State in the paint 38-20. Omaha also dished out a season-high 18 assists.
Inside the First Quarter
Omaha jumped out to an 8-5 lead early in the game getting buckets from Murdie, Pilakouta and Sam Mitchell, who made her first start of the season. The Lady Tigers then went on a 9-3 run to close out the quarter with a 14-11 advantage.
Inside the Second Quarter
The Mavericks asserted themselves in the second period outscoring Tennessee State 21-6 behind an efficient 8-of-12 shooting performance. After trailing 16-15 midway through the quarter, Omaha went on a 17-6 run getting five points each from Murdie and Pilakouta. They would go into the half ahead 32-20.
Inside the Third Quarter
Tennessee State worked their way back into the game in the third. The Lady Tigers forced 13 Maverick turnovers helping them cut the deficit from 12 to two with Adams scoring nine points in the period. The Mavericks took just a 46-44 lead into the final period.
Inside the Fourth Quarter
A Pilakouta lay-up and a Lauren Frost free throw pushed the Mavericks lead back up to five. Grant then scored five straight for the Mavericks including a shot from deep to push their lead back to double-digits. Omaha shot their free throws well down the stretch to close out the 67-56 win.
Next Up
The Mavericks return to Baxter Arena Sunday afternoon and will look to win their third straight game when they take on the College of Saint Mary with tip-off set for 2 p.m.
