Omaha
Fort Hays State
Mavericks Bow To Tigers, 66-56, in MIAA Playoffs
Mar 5, 2009 | General, Men's Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The 2008-09 season came to a premature end for the UNO men's basketball team which lost to Fort Hays State 66-56 in the first round of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association playoffs. The Mavericks finished the season with a record of 17-11.
#Michael Jenkins# led the Mavericks in his final game in a UNO uniform with 15 points. #Dion Curry had 14 points and Mitch Albers# added 11.
The Mavericks had the most success when penetrating against the MIAA's second-best defensive unit. Jenkins and Curry each had nine points in the half, nearly all of them from within five feet of the basket.
The two teams played close for much of the first half, but UNO eventually built a six point lead when Curry hit a layup with 5:48 to go. From there, the Mavericks went cold, scoring just one point while the Tigers ripped off 12 points to take a 29-24 lead at the half.
Fort Hays State came out strong in the second half, starting with a three-pointer from Tim Peintner. He led all scorers with 20, helping the Tigers to a 16 point lead.
The Mavericks whittled the lead down to 50-43 after two free throws by Jenkins with 11:28 to go. But they came up empty on two straight possessions, and Fort Hays stretched the lead back out to 15 thanks to sharp shooting from Terry Jeffries. He had 17 in the game.
UNO would never threaten again. They finished with a season-low in points while shooting just 34.5% from the floor and just 61.9% from the free throw line.
