The Basics
Score: No. 6 Omaha 69, No. 10 Kansas City 60
Records: Omaha (15-16, 8-10 SL), Kansas City (9-23; 3-15 SL)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 6 Omaha punched its ticket to the Summit League Tournament championship game with a hard-fought 69-60 win over No. 10 Kansas City. The Mavericks advanced to the event’s final day for the second time in three seasons doing so in 2021 as well when they were the No. 8 seed.
Grace Cave led the way for Omaha with a season-high 19 points. Elena Pilakouta posted a double double (16 points, 11 rebounds), while Aaliyah Stanley chipped in 15 points.
Cave propelled the Mavericks out of the gates early, scoring 10 points in the first quarter as Omaha jumped out to a 17-7 lead. The Roos, however, would fight back, as Manna Mensah (27 points) and their offense began to heat up in the second quarter. Their zone also slowed down what had been a fast Mavericks’ shooting start, ultimately whittling the Omaha lead to just two (32-30) at the break.
“I thought the first half we just looked unlike ourselves, so at halftime the challenge was we need to defend with more intensity,” Mavericks head coach Carrie Banks said. “I was really proud of how our team responded to that in the second half.”
A shorthanded Roos team would stay within one or two possessions for much of the second half. Pilakouta converted an and-one to take a 36-30 lead early in the third quarter that threatened to break the game open, but Tamia Ugass (10 points, 9 rebounds) hit a deep jumper on the following possession to close the gap.
That would be the norm of a close game until Omaha turned the tide late.
With just under three minutes left Cave stole the ball and kickstarted a fastbreak that ended with a Katie Keitges layup. This extended the lead to 59-51 and Kansas City would not be able to mount one final comeback in a tournament run that began on Friday.
“There’s not a moment when I doubt what our team is capable of in these situations,” Banks said when asked about the tight nature of the game.
The Mavericks will face No. 1 South Dakota State in the title game at 1 p.m. CT on Tuesday.
Turning Point
Cave hit a deep corner jumper with just over two minutes left to give Omaha a 10-point lead. While the Roos would close the gap to five points multiple times down the stretch, the Mavericks did just enough from the free throw line to keep them at arm’s length.
Inside the Box Score
- Mensah’s 27 points marked the fourth consecutive game the graduate student had scored 20 points or more.
- The Mavericks held a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint, led by Pilakouta’s prowess around the basket and darting drives from Stanley.
- E’Lease Stafford played all 40 minutes, the fourth straight game the graduate student has not left the court.
- While the contest was close throughout, Omaha nearly led wire-to-wire, holding a lead from over 38 minutes of game time.
News & Notes
- Omaha fell to the Jackrabbits by seven points when SDSU visited Baxter Arena, one of just three times this season that the regular season champion’s margin of victory was under double digits in a league game.
- The Roos finished their first season under Jackson-Durrett on an uptick. Their two wins in Sioux Falls were the first time they won consecutive games against league opposition this year.
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