Cornhusker State News

Tipping Off

With their non-conference schedule wrapped up, the Mavericks (5-6) will begin Summit League play this Wednesday at 2 p.m., when they return to Colorado to take on Denver (4-7). The game can be heard on 1180 The Zone with Jon Schriner on the call. Links to live stats, audio and video are available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits

Omaha closed out its non-conference schedule last week with a 45-67 loss at Northern Colorado. Overall, the Mavericks went 5-6, picking up wins against Wichita State (72-67), Weber State (91-73), Peru State (91-60), Pepperdine (56-51), and Saint Mary (84-34). Were it not for a couple of last second points scored by Tennessee State and CSU Bakersfield, the Mavericks would have gone 7-4 and finished above .500 against non-conference opponents for the first time since 2017-18 when they went 8-4.

Despite being outshot .442 (23-for-52) to .304 (17-for-56) at Northern Colorado, the Mavericks bested the Bears in FT% at 90% to 77.8% after shooting 9-for-10 from the charity stripe. Omaha also had more second chance points (9 to 8), fast break points (12 to 8), and bench points (16 to 9).

Elena Pilakouta enters the week as Omaha's leading scorer and 10th in the Summit League with 136 points (12.4 ppg). Her .577 shooting percentage (56-for-97) leads the team too and is third overall in the league, while her 70 total rebounds (6.4 rpg) also lead the team and are the ninth most in the Summit. Last week, Pilakouta scored 17 points at UNC giving her eight double-digit scoring games on the year.

Grace Cave has taken a massive leap forward over her breakout 2021-22 debut season. Not only does she lead the Mavericks with 30 assists, 27 steals, and five blocks, she cracks the top-20 in the Summit League in each stat, with her 27 steals in particular being the most of anyone in the league as of Monday. She has also scored 101 points (9.2 ppg) and pulled down 50 total rebounds (4.5 rpg) this season.

Aaliyah Stanley is making a huge impact in her first year with the team as she is the third Maverick with at least 100 points this year with 106 (9.6 ppg), thanks in part to her team-leading 13 three-pointers (13-for-37). Stanley has also reached double-digit points three times, including a 24-point performance at Tennessee State.

Fellow newcomers Ana Nikulochkina and Polina Nikulochkina have also provided a lot of value off the bench, combining for 80 points, 29 rebounds, 15 assists, and 14 steals. 

Scouting the Pioneers

The Pioneers went 4-7 in their non-conference schedule this year, notching wins against Loyola Marymount (73-70), New Mexico State (60-51), Stetson (62-59), and Colorado Christian (104-74). They ended their non-conference slate with an 83-91 loss at Idaho on December 15. Last year, Denver went 10-20 with a 5-13 record in the Summit League. After advancing to the Summit League Tournament, they fell to South Dakota State 59-86 in the quarterfinals.

Freshman guard Emma Smith enters the week as Denver's leading scorer with 137 points (13.7 ppg), good for ninth in the Summit League. Shooting 21-for-55 from behind the arc, her .382 3-PT FG% is the highest in the league, with five of her three-pointers coming in a 24-point effort against Stetson. 

Senior forward Makayla Minett is the Pioneers' top rebounder and the only member of the team with at least 100 points (102) and 100 rebounds (104) this season. She enters the week at third in total rebounds in the Summit and is tied for first in blocks with 20. Minett also has three double-doubles so far this year.

Graduate student Ally Haar paces Denver with 46 assists and 11 steals, while also scoring 109 points. She is third in the league in assists and picked up a double-double against Colorado Christian with 10 assists and 10 points.

Head Coach Doshia Woods is in her third season leading the Pioneers, owning a 21-43 record and two Summit League Tournament appearances.

All-Time Against Denver

Omaha holds a slim 10-8 lead against Denver in the all-time series. The two teams split the series last season, with the Pioneers taking the first game 71-62 at Baxter, before the Mavericks topped them 62-50 in Colorado. Pilakouta had 15 points and 12 rebounds across both games, while Katie Keitges had nine points and four steals.

Original source can be found here.