VERMILLION, S.D. — The Omaha mens basketball team saw its four-game win streak stopped Saturday afternoon, falling 91-81 to South Dakota at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. The Mavericks are now 10-9 (3-1 Summit League), while the Coyotes improve to 11-7 (2-2).
Leaders for Omaha
KJ Robinson led Omaha with 20 points on four 3-pointers on the day, along with five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Wanjang Tut added 13 points on a strong 6-of-9 shooting effort alongside five rebounds, and JT Gibson had 12 points of his own. Marlon Ruffin notched 11 points off the bench, and Matt Pile finished with 10 points, a game-high eight rebounds and two blocks.
Zach Thornhill dished out a team-leading five assists with eight points.
Leaders for South Dakota
Summit League Preseason Player of the Year Stanley Umude led all scorers with 27 points, as well as seven rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist. Tyler Hagedorn hit four threes en route to 19 points, eight boards and five assists. Tyler Peterson (14), Cody Kelly (12) and Triston Simpson (10) also scored in double figures.
Team Stats
Omaha both outshot and outrebounded USD in the loss. The Mavericks finished at 52.5% (32-of-61) to the Coyotes 49.1% (27-of-55) and had a 33-28 advantage on the glass, as well as a 38-28 edge in points in the paint.
USD got to the line 36 times and finished at 75% (27-of-36) for the day while also shooting 55.6% (10-of-18) from three.
The game included nine ties and 16 lead changes.
Inside the First Half
Omaha tied its best first-half shooting performance of the year at 67.9% (19-of-28) in the opening 20 minutes, getting 10 points apiece from the senior duo of Gibson and Robinson.
Neither team could build a substantial foothold, but Omaha led by six at 41-35 after consecutive threes from Robinson and Akinwole with three minutes to the break. USD then tied the game at 41-41, but a final bucket from Robinson made it 45-43 at the midway point.
Inside the Second Half
The Mavericks worked to a 68-64 lead after Tut hit a layup with less than eight minutes left in the game. But Umude started the Coyote rally with 14 of his 20 second-half points over the next four minutes, including 12 straight, as USD got going late to go up 80-74.
Two Ruffin free throws and a Thornhill corner jumper managed to trim the USD lead to 80-78 with 2:43 to go, but USD hit 9-of-10 from the stripe and outscored Omaha 11-3 the rest of the way.
Noting Todays Game
-Omaha has shot 50.0% as a team six times this year. Todays game ended its streak of 18 straight wins when shooting 50.0% or better.
–JT Gibson has scored in double figures in five consecutive games.
–Marlon Ruffin has scored in double figures in three straight contests.
Up Next
Omaha concludes its three-game road swing next Saturday, Jan. 18 at Denver. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT at Hamilton Gymnasium in Denver, Colo.
VERMILLION, S.D. – The Omaha womens basketball program fell 77-44 on the road to South Dakota Saturday afternoon.
The Mavericks (6-11, 1-3) were limited to 21 points in the second half as the Coyotes (15-2, 4-0) remained perfect in the league play.
LEADERS FOR OMAHA
Kia Wilson scored a team-best eight points, while Mikaela Ekdahl and Mariah Murdie had seven apiece. Josie Filer and Sophie Johnston grabbed a team-high five boards each.
LEADERS FOR SOUTH DAKOTA
Ciara Duffy scored a game-high 16 points while three other players reached double figures in Hannah Sjerven (12), Taylor Frederick (11) and Chloe Lamb (10). Sjerven also had a game-high nine rebounds and three blocks.
TEAM STATS
Omaha shot 16-for-47 (34%) from the field, 3-of-15 (20%) from three and 9-of-10 (90%) from the charity stripe. The Mavericks have now shot 90% or better from the free throw line for three-straight games. South Dakota forced 21 Omaha turnovers and shot 29-of-63 (46%), 6-for-22 from three (27.3%) and 13-of-18 (72.2%) from the line. USD also recorded 20 points off turnovers and 38 points in the paint.
INSIDE THE FIRST HALF
Omaha and South Dakota traded buckets throughout the first quarter. The Mavericks got things started with an early scoop layup by Murdie, but saw her limited due to a pair of quick fouls. Omaha was able to climb back into the game and cut the USD lead to just two after one quarter. In the second, South Dakota went on a run and jumped out to a 36-23 at the break.
INSIDE THE SECOND HALF
South Dakota took full control of the game with a 21-4 third quarter. The lead extended to 30 (57-27) after three quarters of play. A 17-point fourth quarter for Omaha was unable to dwindle the Coyote lead, as USD finished out the game with a 77-44 win.
LOOKING AHEAD
Omaha has a week off and returns to action Saturday, Jan. 18, at 3:30 p.m. against Denver in Summit League play.
