Mavericks Square Off Against Hawks
Nov 5, 2014 | Women's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. – With ten returning players and five newcomers' on the roster, the Omaha women's basketball team opens the season on Thursday against Rockhurst in an exhibition.
The Mavericks and Hawks will tip-off at 7 p.m. Thursday evening inside the Sapp Fieldhouse. This will be the only exhibition game of the season for UNO.
OPENING TIP VS. ROCKHURST
The Omaha women's basketball team opens its 2014-15 season on Thursday, Nov. 6 when they host Rockhurst University in exhibition action. Tip-off at the Sapp Fieldhouse in Omaha, Neb., is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Radio coverage of Thursday's game begins at 6:45 p.m. on KZOT-AM 1180. Also, fans can catch the game live and on-demand on Omavs.com.
UNO finished 12-16 last season, going a 4-10 in the Summit League. Rockhurst finished last season with a 9-18 record and held a 4-14 record in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference. Omaha owns a 3-2 all-time record against Rockhurst in five regular season meetings.
SEVEN LETTERWINNERS BACK FOR THE MAVERICKS
Omaha's rosters features eight returning letter winners from last season. Leading the way for Omaha is reigning Summit League Player of the year Taijhe Kelly. Kelly appeared in 28 games last season with 26 starts. She averaged 9.8 points per game, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. Joining Kelley is senior guard Lanese Bough. Bough appeared in all 28 games with 26 starts. Bough averaged 5.4 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
Sophomore's Mikaela Shaw and Madi Robson appeared in every game for the Mavericks last season. Shaw was the third leading scorer on the team last season, while starting every game as a true freshman. She averaged 10.4 points and 6.6 rebounds on the season. Robson started 26 contests and averaged 5.7 points and 4.0 assists per game.
Four other Mavericks who saw playing time last season will return to the floor this season. Senior Felicia Anderson, a three point specialist, averaged 8.3 points last season, while going 58-180 from beyond the three-point stripe. Sophomore Sami Pawlak averaged 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds last year, while sophomore Victoria Trowbridge averaged 4.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. Sophomore Felicia Coleman appeared in nine games and averaged 1.6 points per game as a freshman.
FRESH FACES FOR OMAHA
Omaha has five new faces on the 2014-15 roster. The freshman class of Vanessa Barajas, Remy Davenport, and Annie Penquite will look to add depth to an experienced Omaha squad this year. Barajas, a 6-3 post player, will bring height to the Maverick squad this season. Davenport, a guard, will give Omaha another outside shooter. In her final high school season at Blue Springs South, Davenport set a school record with 60 three-pointers made, including six in one game. Penquite can play anywhere on the court; as a high school senior, she averaged 9.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 42.7 percent from three-point range.
Bobbi Beckwith will be eligible to play for Omaha starting in the second semester. Beckwith originally spent the 2013 fall semester at Indiana State, but did not play. Prior to joining the Sycamores, Beckwith played two seasons at Iowa Western Community College. While playing for the Reivers, she was one of the best shooters in the NJCAA, ranking fifth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (46.2) and 11th in 3-pointers made (74). Beckwith led IWCC to a 24-6 overall record while playing both point guard and shooting guard.
Marissa Preston is joining the Mavericks following playing her freshman year at Wichita State. Preston played in 26 games as a freshman for the Shockers, who finished 26-7 and won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament. She averaged 2.3 points in 9.9 minutes per game for the Shockers. Due to NCAA Division I transfer rules, she must sit out this season.
RETURNING FROM INJURY
The coaching staff is excited about the return of Brianna Bogard and Cat Cox who missed most of the 2013-14 campaign due to injury. Last season, Bogard played in four games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. In her four games, she averaged 12.5 points, 1.5 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game. In her first game as a Maverick, Bogard poured in 29 points, going 7-of-17 from the floor and 15-of-18 from the free throw line. Cox injured her knee in preseason last year and missed the entire season. Cox suffered the same injury seven games into the 2012-13 season. As a freshman in 2011-12, she played in all 27 games. Cox averaged 6.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
UP NEXT FOR OMAHA
Omaha will open the regular season with home game against Alcorn State on Saturday, November 15. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
Radio coverage of Saturday's game begins at 1:45 p.m. on KOIL-AM 1290. Also, fans can catch the game live and on-demand on Omavs.com.
