MACOMB, Ill. – Four Mavericks scored double-figures Thursday night led by Frankie Fidler with 16. He extended his scoring streak to five consecutive games with at least 10 points despite the 88-76 loss to Western Illinois.
The Mavericks fall to 5-23 overall and 4-13 in Summit League action.
Leaders for Omaha
Frankie Fidler led Omaha with 16 points on 7-of-13 from the field. He added five rebounds and a team-high two blocks. Felix Lemetti scored 14 points and tallied team-highs with seven boards and three assists.
Marco Smith finished in double figures with 11 points, while Akol Arop added 10 points. Smith finished 3-of-4 from deep.
Leaders for Western Illinois
Trenton Massner scored a game-high 20 points on 6-of-18 from the field. He also finished 7-of-8 from the foul line. Tamell Pearson added 18 points for the Leathernecks.
Will Carius and Luke Barisic scored 16 apiece. Carius went 4-for-10 from the arc, while Barisic led WIU with nine rebounds on the night.
Team Stats
The Mavericks shot 47.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. The Leathernecks shot 45.9 percent from the field and only 31.6 percent from deep.
Western Illinois capitalized at the line making 26-of-34 attempts. They also managed 17 points on Omaha’s 20 turnovers.
Inside the First Half
The Leathernecks struck from the field first tallying the first two points of the game. The Mavericks matched them the next three times down the court forcing three early ties. Luka Barisic and Will Carius connected on two straight threes for WIU to jump out to a 12-8 lead that Akol Arop cut to one with a three-point play.
Both teams started to heat up from three seven minutes in. Marco Smith and Kyle Luedtke scored two straight for the Mavericks knotting the game, 17-17. Carius matched them with one for the Leathernecks helping spark a 10-2 run. Sam’I Roe and Smith would score just under the ten-minute mark before WIU held Omaha without a field goal for the next five minutes. Smith’s three at the 3:37 mark snapped the scoreless stretch, and the Mavericks scored 10 of the next 13 points to close the half. Western Illinois led at the break, 38-36.
Inside the Second Half
The teams traded baskets to open the second half with Dylan Brougham, Fidler, and Lemetti tying it four times in the first six minutes of action. Lemetti hit a jumper with 13:51 on the clock even it, 47-47. Over the next three minutes, the Leathernecks went on a 13-4 run to gain a 60-51 lead midway through.
Western Illinois extended its lead to double-digits on back-to-back jumpers from Tamell Pearson at the eight-minute mark. The Mavericks responded with a 6-0 run to cut the lead back down to single-digits. With under four to play, Fidler converted on a three-point play and Devin Evans banked in a three to get Omaha within five points, 75-70. It would be the closest the Mavericks got within the final minutes. WIU wins, 87-76.
Noting Tonight’s Game
-Lemetti has hit a three-pointer in every game this season.
-Fidler extended his double-figure scoring streak to five straight games. Tonight was his 17th of the season.
-Lemetti (12), Smith (9), and Arop (4) all added to their season’s double-figure total.
Up Next
The Mavericks wrap up regular season play at St. Thomas Saturday. Tipoff between the Mavericks and Tommies it 7 p.m. in St. Paul, Minnesota.
UNO Men fall to Western Illinois
