Mavs Face Road Test at Loyola Chicago
Dec 16, 2011 | General, Women's Basketball
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Nebraska Omaha at Loyola Chicago
Sunday, Dec. 18 • 2 p.m.
Chicago, Ill. - Gentile Arena
Series Record: First meeting
The UNO Maverick women's basketball team hits the road this weekend for a pair of games in Illinois against Division I opponents. The Mavs play at Loyola Chicago on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Gentile Arena in Chicago. UNO hasn't played a road game since Nov. 27, which coincidentally was UNO's last game against a Division I opponent. The Mavericks are riding a four-game winning streak over three NAIA teams and one Division II team. The Mavs continue their trip at Summit League member Western Illinois on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m.
Series History
Sunday's game will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Last Time Out
The Mavs outlasted former MIAA rival Northwest Missouri State in an overtime thriller, 72-70, before 817 fans at the Sapp Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec. 10. In a game that featured 14 lead changes and 10 ties, the Mavericks prevailed in overtime thanks to clutch 3-pointers by Jamie Nash and Heather Pohl in the final 1:09. The win was the fourth straight for the Mavericks (7-3), and UNO is now 5-0 at home on the season.
Four Mavericks finished with double-doubles: Nash had a game-high 21 points and 11 assists; Paige Frauendorfer had 18 points and 14 rebounds; Pohl had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Rese Huddlin had 11 points and 13 rebounds, with eight coming on the offensive end.
In overtime, the Bearcats drew first blood on two free throws by Martin with 3:28 to play. Frauendorfer cut the lead in half with a free throw. With just under two minutes to play, Nash picked up a loose ball and sprinted to the other end, where she was fouled on a layup attempt. Nash made one free throw to tie the game at 66-66. Northwest's Tara Roach then got open underneath for an easy two to make it 68-66 with 1:31 remaining.
But Nash knocked down a huge 3, her fourth on the day, for a 69-68 UNO lead with 1:09 left in overtime. Nash then grabbed a rebound after a Bearcat missed 3, and the Mavs ran the shot clock down, at which point Nash set up Pohl in the corner for her fourth 3-pointer of the game for a 72-68 lead with 29 seconds left. The Mavs turned the Bearcats away on their next possession, and Nash was fouled with six seconds left. Her free throw rimmed off, and the Bearcats scored their final basket with 0.8 seconds left.
The Coaches
Chance Lindley is in his first year as the Mavericks' head coach. The 35-year-old Lindley comes to UNO from Arizona, where he was an assistant for three years. Lindley's first collegiate head coaching gig came at Barton County Community College, where he went 34-4 in 2007-08 before moving on to Arizona. Lindley graduated cum laude from Wichita State in 2000 with a degree in physical education.
Eric Simpson is in his third year as the head coach at Loyola Chicago. Simpson is 31-39 at the school and in his career. Simpson graduated from Northwestern in 1994.
Scouting the Opponents
Loyola Chicago, a member of the Horizon League, is 4-5 on the season. The Ramblers are led by Patrice King's 17.0 points per game. Monica Albano averages 14.8 points per game. Troy Hambric brings down a team-best 6.6 rebounds per game. The Ramblers started the year 3-0 with wins over Chicago State, Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois. But they've lost five of their last six to Eastern Michigan, Akron, DePaul, La Salle and Northwestern. Loyola Chicago picked up a win along the way against San Francisco on Nov. 26.
Maverick Roundup
1) An incredible four Mavericks recorded double-doubles in the 72-70 overtime win over Northwest Missouri State last Saturday. Jamie Nash had a game-high 21 points and 11 assists; Paige Frauendorfer had 18 points and 14 rebounds; Heather Pohl had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Rese Huddlin had 11 points and 13 rebounds, with eight coming on the offensive end.
2) Paige Frauendorfer is off to the best start of any Maverick, averaging 15.1 points on 53.6-percent shooting from the field. The junior guard leads the Mavericks with five double-doubles and has already set new career highs in both points (24) and rebounds (15). Frauendorfer has scored in double-figures in nine of 10 games.
3) Amanda Woodring hit a school-record eight 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 24 points against College of St. Mary on Dec. 7. Woodring, who had been averaging 1.4 points per game coming into that game, smashed her previous career high of 17 points, set at Missouri Western last season. She finished 8-of-12 on 3-pointers.
4) Jamie Nash had five steals in the win over Northwest Missouri State, and she now has 213 career steals, which ranks her seventh in school history. Nash needs just 10 more to break into the top five. Nash is averaging 5.2 steals per game, which ranks second in the nation.
5) Heather Pohl has made 132 career 3-pointers, which ranks her fifth in school history. The senior needs just 11 more to move into sole possession of fourth place.
Owning the Paint
The Mavericks dominated the paint in their last four home wins. During the four games, the Mavericks posted a combined 156-46 advantage in the paint for an average of 39.0-10.6 per game. The Mavs are 7-0 this year when winning the battle in the paint and are 0-3 when not outscoring their opponents in the lane.
Scanning the Stats
Because of its reclassification period, Nebraska Omaha cannot be included in the official NCAA statistics. However, with 5.2 steals per game, Jamie Nash would rank second in Division I in that category. Quinnipiac's Felicia Barron leads the nation with 6.2 steals per game. The Mavs as a team average 13.6 steals per game, which would rank 15th in the country.
Clamping Down on 'D'
The Chance Lindley era is only 10 games in, but already the Mavericks are showing improvements on last year's final defensive numbers. The Mavericks are allowing opponents 57.7 points per game, which is nearly 14 points better than last year's 71.3 average. UNO is also holding opponents to 26.5 percent from long distance. That's a significant upgrade from last year, when UNO's opponents shot 35.8 percent from 3-point range and the Mavs finished last in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Winning Numbers
Sixty has been the magic number so far for the Mavericks. When holding opponents under 60 points, the Mavericks are 6-1. When scoring more than 60 points, the Mavericks are 7-1. The only exceptions: a 54-48 loss at Marshall on Nov. 27, and a Nov. 12 loss at Metro State, 64-61. UNO has fallen in all three games that its trailed with five minutes to play. But when the Mavs are tied or winning with five minutes left, they are 7-0.
Record Seekers
Senior forward Heather Pohl and junior guard Jamie Nash are climbing the charts in UNO women's basketball history. Pohl ranks fifth in school history with 132 career 3-point field goals. She needs just 11 more to move into sole possession of fourth place and 23 to move into the top three. Pohl hit 62 treys last season, which ranks third for single-season 3-pointers made at UNO. Meanwhile, Nash ranks seventh in school history with 213 career steals. She needs just 10 more to take sole possession of fifth place and 30 to break into the top three. The school record is 331, set by Kriss Edwards from 1977-81.
Mavericks Reclassify to Division I
Nebraska Omaha announced in March 2011 its plan to reclassify from NCAA Division II to Division I, beginning with the 2011-12 school year. UNO, which was previously a member of the MIAA, accepted an invitation to join The Summit League and will compete as a full-fledged member with a regular-season conference schedule in 2012-13.
Next Up for the Mavericks
The Mavs continue their road trip through Illinois at Summit League member Western Illinois on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m.
