GREELEY, Colo. – Claire Killians driving layup with 1.1 seconds left propelled the Omaha womens basketball team to a 66-64 win at Northern Colorado on Sunday afternoon in Greeley, Colo.
The win moves the Mavericks to 1-1 on the season while the Bears drop to 0-2.
Leaders for Omaha
Sarah Schmitt led Omaha with a career-high 18 points while adding five boards, three assists and two steals. Killian scored 14 points and Josie Filer added 13 points with seven rebounds.
Leaders for Northern Colorado
Jasmine Gayles scored a game-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor. Mele Finau chipped in nine points and seven rebounds while Alisa Wiggins posted nine points with a 4-for-4 shooting performance.
Inside the First Quarter
Omaha jumped out to a five-point lead before the Bears capped the opening quarter with a 4-0 rally to cut the deficit within one. The Mavericks opened the game shooting 3-of-6 from three-point range while the Omaha defense stifled Northern Colorado, forcing the Bears into six early turnovers.
Inside the Second Quarter
Killian stretched the lead to 20-15 with 6:35 left in the half with a trey, but UNC held the Mavericks to two points in the final six minutes to go into the break all locked up at 22. Ella Ogier scored on a pair of buckets to lead Omaha, as the Bears held the Mavericks to 28.6 percent shooting in the quarter.
Inside the Third Quarter
The two teams began the second half with a blistering shooting pace. Omaha shot 50 percent from the field while the Bears connected on 73.3 percent of their attempts. Northern Colorado pushed its lead to 47-40 with 2:28 left in the quarter before Schmitt reeled off six points to cut the UNC lead to 50-47 heading into the fourth.
Inside the Fourth Quarter
Back-to-back baskets from Filer and Schmitt gave Omaha a 55-54 advantage with four minutes left. Leading by one, Lauren Frosts three-point attempt rattled in with 37 seconds left to give Omaha a 63-59 lead. The Bears knocked in a three from the top of the key with five seconds left to tie the game at 64. Schmitt inbounded the ball with 5.3 seconds remaining, as Killian got the ball on the left wing and drove to the hoop, absorbing contact and laying up the game-winner with 1.1 seconds left.
Inside the Box Score
- The Mavericks shot 36.2 percent from the floor, including a 40.9 percent clip from three-point range.
- Ogier tallied six points, three rebounds and three assists.
- Frost chipped in seven points and three boards while Sophie Johnston added five points and four rebounds.
- The Maverick defense forced its opponent into 16 turnovers for the second straight game.
- The game featured six lead changes and eight ties.
- With a 9-for-22 performance from beyond the arc, Omaha has made a three-pointer in 232 consecutive games, dating back to 2013.
