Omaha Drops Close Contest to Montana State

Sunday, December 16

Bozeman, Mont.

3:00 PM

Omaha

5-6

Montana State

5-4

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Omaha	17	13	18	8	56
Montana State	5	18	13	23	59

Omaha Drops Close Contest to Montana State

Dec 16, 2018 | Women's Basketball

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BOZEMAN, Mont. – The Omaha women's basketball team held the lead late Sunday, but the Mavericks could not put away Montana State as the Bobcats snatched a 59-56 victory over UNO at Worthington Arena.

The Mavericks are now 5-6 on the season, while the Bobcats improved to 5-4.

Leaders for Omaha
Josie Filer led Omaha with a career-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting with six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.

Joining Filer in double figures was Claire Killian with 14 points and four rebounds. Sophie Johnston added 10 points and five rebounds.

Leaders for Montana State
Montana State had two players reach double-figures led by Oliana Squires' game-high 19 points. Squires added seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Claire Lundberg added 12 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Team Stats
Omaha converted 43.1 percent (22-of-51) of its shots from the field, including 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from long range. The Mavericks hit 75.0 percent (6-of-8) of their free throws. UNO committed 20 turnovers compared to MSU's 11.

Montana State shot 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from the field and 20.0 percent (6-of-30) from 3-point distance. The Bobcats were 60.0 percent (9-of-15) at the free throw line. MSU outrebounded UNO 36-33 and had 14 steals.

Inside the First Half
Omaha jumped out to a 17-5 lead after the first quarter as they shot 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from the field in the opening stanza. Johnston and Rayanna Carter put the Mavericks on top 5-0 early on before the Bobcats tied the game at 5-5 at the midway point of the period. Killian scored nine points in UNO's 12-0 run to end the quarter.

Omaha stretched its lead to 24-10 with 7:30 left in the second quarter on a Filer layup. Montana State responded with an 11-0 spurt over the next 4:21 to close within three points. A pair of Romekia Wallace free throws and a layup by Mariah Murdie stretched the Mavericks lead to 30-23 at the break.

Inside the Second Half
Both teams exchanged baskets to open the second half, before Omaha put some distance between the two teams with a 7-0 run, capped off by four straight points from Filer. Wallace's layup at the buzzer gave the Mavericks a 48-39 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks advanced the lead to 54-41 with 7:46 left in the fourth quarter on an Alicia Mountain bucket. Montana State stepped up its game, outscoring Omaha 16-0 over the next 7:25 to take a 57-54 lead with under a minute to play. Filer put the Mavericks back within a point, 57-56, coming out of a timeout, but Squires hit a pair of free throws to seal the 59-56 Bobcat win.

Up Next
Omaha returns to the court on Friday, Dec. 21, against Northern Iowa. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.