Omaha
Missouri Southern
Mavs Finish MIAA Tournament Run in 88-85 Loss To M
Mar 5, 2011 | General, Men's Basketball
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UNO men's basketball team finished its run at the 2011 MIAA Championship on Saturday, falling 88-85 to top-seeded Missouri Southern. With the loss, the Mavericks are 19-9 on the year, while MSSU improves to 25-3 and advances to Sunday's championship game.
Senior guard Tyler Bullock finished with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal. Three other Mavericks joined Bullock in double-figure scoring – senior guard Jeff Martin (17), junior guard Mitch Albers (15) and sophomore forward Alex Welhouse (13). Martin tallied five 3-pointers – four in the first half alone – to take sole possession of fifth place all-time at UNO for career treys. Bullock and Welhouse each added three 3-pointers apiece, and Albers had a pair of triples to his credit.
Welhouse and senior guard Torrian Harris led the Mavs on the glass, pulling down six rebounds each.
The Lions were led by Keane Thomann's 30 points on 13-for-17 shooting from the field. Skyler Bowlin, the 2011 MIAA Player of the Year, finished with 21 points on four 3-pointers, while Jason Adams added 14 points and a game-leading nine rebounds.
UNO outshot MSSU 53 percent to 48 percent, and the Mavs were 52 percent from behind the arc after notching nine 3-pointers in the first half alone. The loss was the Mavericks' only defeat this season after leading at halftime, where they previously enjoyed a 13-0 record.
Behind 12 points from Martin's four 3-pointers over four minutes in the first stanza, UNO took a 51-43 lead heading into the locker room.
Nebraska-Omaha stretched its lead to 10 on an early three from Welhouse, but a 14-3 MSSU run put the Lions back on top, 58-57. Thomann, who was a major presence inside, chipped in a jumper to go up by three points before UNO roared back to regain the advantage at 73-66. Ahead by four at just under five minutes, Bowlin had five straight points to put his team back in the lead, 78-77.
The game tied twice more, as Albers hit a free throw to make it 82-all. Bowlin then made a key 3-pointer with 39 seconds to go, putting MSSU up 85-82, and Marquis Addison banked in a charity shot to extend it to four. With 11 seconds remaining, Martin brought the Mavericks within one with a three of his own, but Bowlin was fouled twice and hit two free throws, clinching the 88-85 Southern win.
UNO, which was ranked 10th in the regional rankings released on March 2, now awaits its fate for the NCAA Division II Tournament. The 2011 tournament field will be announced via a webcast of the selection show at NCAA.com on Sunday, March 6 at 9 p.m.
