Omaha Rallies to Top USC Upstate, 69-66

Friday, November 24

Spartanburg, S.C.

2:00 p.m.

Omaha

3-2

USC Upstate

1-5

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Omaha	11	20	9	29	69
USC Upstate	13	17	14	22	66

Jess Walter had a game-high 20 points against USC Upstate on Friday.

Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann

Omaha Rallies to Top USC Upstate, 69-66

Nov 24, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (HTML)Box Score (PDF)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Courtney Vaccher had a double-double to lead Omaha over USC Upstate 69-66 on Friday afternoon at the G.B. Hodge Center.

With the win, the Mavericks improved to 3-2 on the season, while the Spartans fell to 1-5.

Leaders for Omaha
Junior Courtney Vaccher led the way for Omaha with her second career double-double. The junior scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. She also blocked three shots and had two steals. Junior Jess Walter, who missed the previous two games, scored a game-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists. Junior Ellie Brecht chipped in 11 points and six boards, while junior Amber Vidal added seven points and a game-high seven assists.

Leaders for USC Upstate
Tamera Thorpe scored a team-best 20 points and grabbed five rebounds. Morgan Williams added 15 points and five rebounds off the bench for Upstate.

Team Stats
Omaha shot 48.1 percent (26-of-54) from the field compared to 37.1 percent (23-of-62) for USC Upstate. The Spartans hit nine 3-pointers compared to the Mavericks' seven. UNO held a 41-33 advantage on the boards, including a 31-21 lead on the defensive end. Upstate forced Omaha into 23 turnovers while committing only 13. UNO blocked four shots compared to one by USC Upstate.

Inside the First Quarter
Omaha shot just 26.7 percent (4-of-15) in the opening period, compared to 28.6 percent (4-of-14) by USC Upstate. The Spartans converted 50 percent (3-of-6) of its shots from long range while the Mavericks hit only 30 percent (3-of-10) from deep. Brecht, Walter and Emily Petersen each had three points for the Mavericks. Thorpe led the Spartans with five points in the first quarter, and USC Upstate led 13-11 after the first 10 minutes.

Sizing Up the Second Quarter
The Mavericks were hot from the floor, hitting 61.5 percent (8-of-13) of their shots. The Spartans kept pace by converting 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from the floor. Vaccher led UNO with six points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field and hit both free throw attempts. Brecht and Walter each had five for Omaha. Thorpe continued to lead USC Upstate with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, including two 3-pointers. Upstate stretched its lead to five points early in the second quarter on a Thorpe 3-pointer. Baskets by Brecht and Romekia Wallace gave UNO a 23-21 lead with 3:28 left in the half. Walter scored the final three points of the half for Omaha and gave the Mavericks a 31-30 halftime advantage.

Looking at the Third Quarter
USC shot 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from the floor in the third quarter compared to 27.3 percent (3-of-11) by UNO. The Mavericks hit only one 3-pointer, while the Spartans managed two. Omaha opened the second half on a 7-0 run on a Brecht 3-pointer and a pair of Walter jumpers. USC Upstate answered with a 14-2 run to end the quarter and took 44-40 lead heading into the final quarter.

Wrapping up the Fourth Quarter
Omaha shot an amazing 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the field, while USC Upstate hit 50 percent (7-of-14) from the floor. The Mavericks were perfect from the free throw line (5-of-5), while the Spartans connected on 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from the charity stripe. Thorpe hit two free throws to open the period and give Upstate a six-point lead, 46-40. Omaha responded with two Walter baskets and a trey by Vidal to take a one-point lead with 8:39 remaining. The Spartans stretched their lead to four points, 61-57, with less than four minutes left in regulation. A Killian 3-pointer pushed Omaha back in front with 90 seconds on the clock. Two Williams' buckets made it 65-64 with 33 seconds left. The Mavericks went up 67-65 with 10 seconds on the clock and then put the game away on a pair of Vidal free throws.

Up Next
The Mavericks wrap their two-game road swing on Sunday, Nov. 26 against Wofford at Noon. Donny Baarns will have the call on 1180 Zone 2, and the game will air live on ESPN3. Links to live stats, audio and video are available on OMavs.com.