Carrie Banks has had a consistent message to her team ahead of games in Baxter Arena.  
 
“It’s about taking care of home,” she echoed that during the 1180 The Zone pregame show ahead of the Mavericks’ game against Western Illinois on Jan. 5. “It’s about taking care of home in conference play.” 
 
The Mavericks have listened. Omaha’s perfect home mark thus far – with wins over the Leathernecks and Tommies – has paired with some good results outside the state of Nebraska, which has the program off to one of its best starts in recent memory. In beating Denver this past Monday, the Mavericks (9-9, 4-3) ended a three-game road trip already surpassing their conference win total from last year, and with as many wins overall since the 2017-18 season. 
 
At its heart? One of the more unique – and reliable – offenses in the Summit. 
 
The Mavericks’ four guard lineup spaces the floor around star center Elena Pilakouta and that group has been potent since League play began. Omaha is second in the conference in making shots both within the arc (50.9% 2FG) and outside the arc (36.5% 3FG), which has all added up to a field goal percentage (46.3%) that is a huge improvement over what it was a year ago. 
 
Pilakouta has been the Mavericks’ engine, and her combination of footwork, craftiness and power in the post has led to a career-high in scoring (13.2 ppg) and, especially, proficiency in making shots close to the rim (60.2%). Last week, she simply didn’t miss against North Dakota State, scoring a season-high 28 points while going 13-13 from the field -- the second best single-game performance without missing a shot in League history. 
 
That left Jory Collins scratching his head, even though his team came out with the win.
 
“Obviously we didn’t have an answer for Elena in the post and we really haven’t had one the last three years that we’ve been here,” the Bison coach said after the game. 
 
What’s made the Mavericks’ equation that much harder to solve this year has been the emergence of Aaliyah Stanley as a complement on the perimeter. The lightning quick FGCU transfer has been able to don the cape and go supernova at times this season, such as a three-game stretch where she scored 20 or more points, beginning with a 34-point effort at Kansas City. 
 
Banks talked about what she had seen from her senior guard during that heatwave. 
 
“Early on I think she was trying to think about too much and I think she had to just go play,” told 1180 The Zone in early January. “I told her I want you to attack and put pressure on the defense and realize when you have numbers, and I think she’s taken that run and with that.” 
 
Stanley’s shiftiness driving to the paint and ability to connect from deep (39.1% 3FG) has her 10th in the conference scoring (12.4 ppg), trailing only Roos’ forward E’Lease Stafford among newcomers. And while she and Pilakouta have led the way, they’ve had plenty of support throughout the roster. 
 
Sophomore Grace Cave has continued to grow into her role as a lead guard (9.7 ppg, 3.1 apg), and has improved her assist-to-turnover ratio against Division I competition (1.23 ast/tov) significantly from what it was during her freshman campaign. She’s been flanked by a now-healthy Kennedi Grant, who is enjoying her own breakout sophomore year (9.5 ppg, 38.8% 3FG) while being another floor-spacing problem for opponents. 
 
UNO returns to Baxter Arena for a four-game homestand that begins with the South Dakota State this week, which presents an obvious challenge to the fortress mentality Banks has instilled in her team on its home floor. 
 
But the early season has already brought big-time boosts to the program. Their win over the Leathernecks wiped out a conference home losing streak that extended all the way back to their final home game of the 2020-21 season, when they beat North Dakota ahead of their magical run to the Summit League Tournament final from the No. 8 seed. 
 
However the game against the Jackrabbits goes, UNO has shown that its attack led by Pilakouta and Stanley poses a stiff challenge, and one that appears to put it well in the mix of teams vying to climb the league standings.