Press Conference: Western Illinois | Omaha

The Basics
Score: No. 8 Omaha 69, 5 Western Illinois 55
Records: Western Illinois (8-16) | Omaha (7-12)
Location: The Sanford Pentagon - Sioux Falls, S.D.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Omaha achieved yet another piece of history at The Summit League Women's Basketball Championship becoming the first No. 8 seed to reach the title game after beating fifth-seeded Western Illinois 69-55 Monday in the opening semifinal at the Sanford Pentagon. 

Two days after stunning top-seeded South Dakota State, the Mavericks once again put the clamps down defensively, limiting Western Illinois to just a pair of 3-pointers after the Leathernecks had combined for 35 during the regular-season, back-to-back with Omaha (Feb. 6-7).

While the Leathernecks were struggling from beyond the arc, the Mavericks were excelling, especially Claire Killian. The senior guard scored a game-high 22 points, while going 6-for-7 from 3-point range. She made all four of her first-half attempts as the Mavericks to a 30-27 lead into halftime and the squad finished 8-for-14 (57.1 percent). in the contest.
 

Killian opened the second half by drilling her fifth trey and the long-range basket sparked a decisive 14-2 run that the Leathernecks never responded too. ?

Elena Pilakouta and Sarah Schmitt each added 10 points to give the Mavericks a trio of double-figure scorers. Those two also combined for nine assists with Pilakouta dishing out a career-high five from her post position.

Grace Gilmore and Evan Zars paced the Leathernecks with 16 points each, but WIU could never find a rhythm, especially from deep where Carla Flores went 2-for-3, but the rest of the team finished 0-for-11.
 
Omaha will take on the winner of the second semifinal between No. 2 South Dakota and No. 3 North Dakota State at 1 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Turning Point
The Mavericks led by only three at halftime, but Killian capped a 14-2 run out of the break that put the Mavericks ahead 44-29 

Inside the Box Score

• Killian finished 6-for-7 from beyond the arc, burying five-plus triples for the third time this season
• Western Illinois came into contest making 8.8 3-pointers per game and had combined for 35 in a regular-season split with the Mavericks, but the Leathernecks matched their season-low output by making just 2-of-14 attempts
• Pilakout finished with 10 points and a career-high five assists to reach double figures for the ninth time in the last 10 games
• Gilmore matched The Summit League single-game scoring record earlier in the season against Omaha (Feb. 6)

News & Notes

• The Mavericks are just the fifth team seeded fifth or lower to reach the title game in the 29-year history of the tournament -- the only one of those lower seeds to win it all was Oakland when the sixth-seed Grizzlie took the trophy in 2006
• Omaha picked up its second double-digit victory of the tournament and had only one twice in four previous appearances since becoming eligible in 2016
• The Leathernecks would have been only the second fifth seed to reach the title game joining the 2014 Oral Roberts squad with that distinction
• The Mavericks were swept by North Dakota State in a road series in mid-January while their series with South Dakota scheduled for Jan. 29-30 was cancelled due to Covid-19 protocols

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