Mavericks Honor Seniors With 85-69 Win Against PSU

Saturday, February 26

Omaha, Neb.

3:30 PM

Omaha

Pittsburg State

Mavericks Prepare for League-Leading Lions - Omaha Athletics

Mavericks Honor Seniors With 85-69 Win Against PSU

Feb 26, 2011 | General, Men's Basketball

By: Omaha Athletics

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OMAHA, Neb. – The UNO men's basketball team finished Senior Day in fine fashion, capturing an 85-69 win over Pittsburg State at Sapp Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Mavericks clinched a No. 4 for seed for next week's MIAA Tournament in Kansas City and improved to 18-8 (15-7 MIAA), while PSU finished its season at 13-13 (9-13 MIAA).

Saturday also marked the final home game for UNO's five seniors -- #Tyler Bullock#, #Torrian Harris#, #Jeff Martin#, Matt Starks and #Aaron Terry#.

Bullock led the way with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting and tied his career best of nine rebounds. The Lincoln native added seven rebounds and three steals on the day.

Harris and Martin each chipped in 16 points apiece. Harris was 6-for-8 from the floor and also pulled down five rebounds, while Martin hit four 3-pointers. Martin also moved up to fifth all-time for career threes, as he has 160, which is tied with former Maverick Andrew Bridger.

Junior guard #Mitch Albers# also finished in double figures, recording 13 points, five assists, two steals and a block, and also shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

PSU had four players in double-figure scoring – Andra Bailey (15), JaVon McGee (14), Drake Green (14) and Eric Ray (10). Bailey also had 11 rebounds for a double-double.

As a team, UNO outshot Pittsburg State 46 percent to 40 percent. The Mavericks scored 29 points off the bench, while the Gorillas managed just seven.

Harris put up the first points of the game, and Albers and sophomore forward #Alex Welhouse# drained two 3-pointers to go up 8-4. PSU kept it close, but three more baskets by Harris over one minute helped the Mavericks take a 16-10 lead. Pittsburg State would not surrender, however, tying the game at 19-all with a triple by Adrian Herrera. UNO then put on a 12-0 run, started by back-to-back treys and a layup by Martin. Bullock then chipped in a layup of his own, drew a foul and hit the subsequent free throw, pushing it out to 34-22. Harris added another bucket, extending the game to 36-22.

PSU never cut the margin under double figures, and the Mavericks to, took their largest lead of the half at 42-25 with three minutes to go. Albers banked in two sets of free throws, and Bullock added another layup, while McGee dropped in five points for his team. But the Mavericks finished strong, taking a 46-34 advantage by halftime.

The Mavs improved to 52 percent shooting in the second half and held PSU to a 36 percent performance. The Gorillas made seven straight free throws to open the second stanza, narrowing the gap to five. Two straight Bullock layups and another Martin 3-pointer put it back at 55-45, but Ray cut it to 58-50 with a triple.

A charity shot by Welhouse gave the Mavs their double-figure lead again, and they never relinquished it for the rest of the game. Welhouse poured in a three to push the margin out to 15 points, followed by a layup by Harris to make it 76-59. PSU came back with four straight points from green, but UNO took its largest lead of the game on a Harris free throw at 83-65. Two final free throws from freshman guard #Caleb Steffensmeier# sealed the Maverick effort, closing the game at 85-69.

UNO, which earned the No. 4 seed for the 2011 MIAA Tournament, returns to action on Thursday, March 3. Tipoff against fifth-seeded Central Missouri is slated for 2:15 p.m. at Municipal Arena in Kansas City, Mo.