Path to Summit Tournament Easier, Not Easy, Down the Stretch for Omaha

After a brutal start to conference play, which included a 9-game conference losing streak, a victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on Senior Day has reenergized the Mavericks going into their final stretch.

Behind them now are South Dakota, South Dakota State, and Western Illinois. The last three games are winnable against North Dakota State (6-19, 3-10 Summit), Oral Roberts (15-12, 8-6), and Denver (14-11, 7-5).

"We needed to [beat Fort Wayne] at home, it keeps the season alive as far as what we are playing for" said Omaha coach Brittany Lange after the game. The victory moved Omaha into a tie for the final spot in the Summit League Tournament. The last-placed team in the standings will not qualify for the 8-team postseason. North Dakota's addition to the Summit League created a 9-member conference this season.

"It was a must win."

Looking ahead, there are 3 teams fighting for the last two spots in the conference.



Omaha (8-18, 2-11)
The Mavericks have a tough but winnable stretch in front of them, but the biggest disadvantage when trying to qualify for the postseason is that all games are on the road.

Games Remaining:
@ North Dakota State (6-19, 3-10)

• The most winnable game remaining, and the best shot the Mavs have at moving up from 8th to 7th in league play, which is not nothing, but still a steep battle over either South Dakota or South Dakota State come conference play. A win would guarantee that Omaha owns the tiebreak over NDSU, all but securing a spot in the postseason.

@ Oral Roberts (15-12, 8-6)

• Oral Roberts has won 5 of their past 7, and will be coming off a 4-game road swing before hosting Omaha to end the regular season. Oral Roberts will be jockeying for position from 3-5 in the Conference Tournament over their final 2 games.

@ Denver (14-11, 7-5)

• In a similar boat with Oral Roberts, Denver is fighting to move up as high as #3 in the standings, with a home game against Western Illinois ahead of them. It's possible they leave it all on the floor against WIU and will be gassed against Omaha two days later.

Purdue Fort Wayne (6-19, 2-11)
Purdue Fort Wayne enters the back stretch with the easiest schedule of the bottom three, but may be running out of energy sitting on a 5 game losing streak under interim Head Coach Marcie Alberts while Niecee Nelson is on administrative leave.

Games Remaining:
@ South Dakota State (20-6, 12-1)

• A throwaway game in which Purdue Fort Wayne just hopes they can stay healthy enough to compete in the last two.

VS. North Dakota (10-16, 5-8)
VS. North Dakota State (6-19, 3-10)

• Two very winnable home games close out their season, but Fort Wayne will still need a tie-breaker to land in their favor, as they lost to North Dakota State by 16 to start conference play back in December. Fort Wayne is also catching North Dakota on a favorable date, a Thursday afternoon after an extended stay at home for UND, it will be the Fighting Hawks' first road game in 19 days.

North Dakota State
A win for North Dakota State against either Omaha OR Purdue Fort Wayne will gain invaluable separation from the bottom of the conference. As long as the team stays healthy through the South Dakota wood chipper, the Bison have to be satisfied with their spot; a 1-game lead and in complete control of their own destiny.

Games Remaining:
VS. Omaha (8-18, 2-11)
@ South Dakota (23-3, 11-1)
@ Purdue Fort Wayne (6-19, 2-11)

Record Crowd Highlights #EveryoneForOmaha

Omaha, NE - The buzz was noticeably different around Baxter Arena last night. Pulling up to the arena 45 minutes early, there was a line of cars never seen before for a basketball game at Baxter. Multiple police cruisers directed traffic to specific parking lots, where in other games it was simply first come, first serve no matter the direction you came in.

The concourse was loud, with fans mulling about in palpable anticipation for the game about to be put on display. This was not your everyday Mavericks game, and a far cry from their home opener in November; a glorified practice against Buena Vista due to road conditions preventing thousands of school children from making the trip.

The announced crowd of 4,228 made their voices hear early and often, but the 2nd half reached another level of support.

South Dakota State got an early jump on the Mavs and ran out to an early lead thanks to 20 first half points from Mike Daum, whose ability to score from anywhere on the floor made defending him a challenge for Matt Pile and backup Brett Barney.

"Daum in the first half got the ball in all the sweet spots we talked about for the past 3 days," said Coach Derrin Hansen after the game. "The second half he got the ball a little bit farther away."

With the defense more focused on Daum in the 2nd half, South Dakota Stayed keyed on sophomore shooter David Jenkins to keep the Mavs at bay. Jenkins scored 25 of his game-high 34 points in the second half, and finished the day shooting 10-for-15 from long range.

But it was a full team effort that brought Omaha back in it. Four Mavericks scored in double figures in the 2nd half alone, led by Matt Pile and KJ Robinson, who each netted 13 points. An 18-0 run erased a 16-point deficit, and the Mavericks and Jackrabbits traded blows for the final 14 minutes of the game, seeing all of the game's 13 lead changes after that run.

Mike Daum drove and drew a foul with 5 seconds left, sinking both free throws to take an 84-83 lead before Mitch Hahn made his game winning drive.

"My first thought was to shoot a pull-up 3, then Matt [Pile] said 'we need to get to the rim.' Against South Dakota State in the championship game [2 years ago] we shot a deep three...we can't do the same thing twice. [Alex] Arians did a good job of cutting me off, the only thing he gave me was the shot I had to take."

After the game, students rushed the floor to congratulate the Mavs, who were all more than happy to high-five every last fan on their way to the locker room.