Saturday, February 16
Omaha, Neb.
4:30 p.m.
Omaha
vs
Purdue Fort Wayne
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Omaha Hosts Mastodons For Senior Day Tilt
Feb 15, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Leading Off
The Omaha men's basketball team is set for another top-three matchup with third-place Purdue Fort Wayne this Saturday, Feb. 16 at Baxter Arena at 4:30 p.m. Gary Sharp and former Maverick John Karhoff will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for pregame Senior Day recognition for senior duo Zach Jackson and Mitch Hahn.
Quick Hits
• Omaha sits in second place in the Summit League standings, only a half-game behind South Dakota State.
• The Mavericks' 6-1 start to league play before a loss at SDSU (Jan. 26) matched its previous best set in 2015-16.
• Omaha has won 12 of its last 14 games. It won five straight decisions on the road from Dec. 15 - Jan. 24, the most since seven straight from Jan. 2 - Feb. 19, 2011.
• The Mavericks have outrebounded seven of their last nine opponents.
• Omaha is the only team in the league to have all five starters averaging double figures: Zach Jackson (18.3 ppg), JT Gibson (13.9 ppg), Mitch Hahn (12.9 ppg), KJ Robinson (12.0 ppg) and Matt Pile (10.7 ppg).
• Omaha joins South Dakota State as the only two teams with three players in the conference's top 15 for scoring. Jackson is fourth, Gibson is 12th and Hahn is 15th.
• The Mavericks rank eighth nationally for fewest total turnovers and 11th for fewest turnovers per game. They have had single-digit turnovers in 11 of the last 15 games, including a season-low five Thursday night.
• Robinson has limited himself to 23 turnovers in 21 games. In league play, Gibson and Ayo Akinwole both have just eight miscues in 11 games.
• Omaha hit two century marks Thursday: its 100th win since gaining membership in the Summit League in 2012-13 and Derrin Hansen's 100th career conference win since taking the reins of the Maverick program in 2005-06.
• The Mavericks were picked eighth in the 2018-19 Summit League's Preseason Poll, and Jackson was a first-team Preseason All-Summit selection.
• Jackson collected second-team All-Summit accolades as a junior. Since Omaha joined the Summit League in 2012-13, 10 Mavericks have combined for 12 All-Summit awards.
• Jackson and Hahn are both team captains for the second straight year.
Scouting the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
Purdue Fort Wayne is 17-10 (9-3 Summit League) after its fifth straight win, 94-81 at Denver Thursday night. John Konchar finished with 29 points and a career-high 14 assists with seven rebounds and three steals and was joined in double figures by Matt Holba (22 points), Kason Harrell (15) and Dee Montgomery (13). The Mastodons hit 16 threes as a team, led by six from Holba.
Purdue Fort Wayne, which finished 18-15 (7-7 Summit League) a year ago, was voted fourth in the Summit League's preseason poll. Konchar was a first-team Preseason All-Summit selection and totes three first-team all-league awards over his career. Head coach Jon Coffman is 95-63 in five years at Purdue Fort Wayne.
All-Time Against Purdue Fort Wayne
Saturday marks the 17th meeting between Omaha and Purdue Fort Wayne, and the Mastodons lead the all-time series 11-5, all in the Mavericks' Division I era. The Mastodons have a 5-2 advantage in Omaha since 2011-12, including but Omaha has won the last two contests in the series.
Omaha and Purdue Fort Wayne last met Jan. 24 in Fort Wayne, Ind., where the Mavericks prevailed 85-79 in overtime. In their last matchup at Baxter Arena on Feb. 10, 2018, Omaha won 90-85.
Last Time Out: Hahn's Game-Winner Seals Comeback Over South Dakota State, 85-84
With 0.2 seconds remaining in the game, senior Mitch Hahn buried a buzzer-beating jumper from the baseline to give Omaha an 85-84 victory over South Dakota State Thursday night at Baxter Arena. The win was the Mavericks' third straight, pulled them within a half-game of the Summit League lead and snapped SDSU's nine-game win streak.
A record crowd of 4,228 was on hand for the Valentine's Day battle, besting Baxter Arena's previous basketball mark of 4,106 set last season vs. Fort Wayne.
Hahn scored a team-high 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting – including 4-of-5 from deep -- with eight rebounds and a career-high seven assists to lead the Mavericks. A trio of teammates followed with 17 points apiece in Matt Pile, KJ Robinson and Zach Jackson. Pile also added a team-high nine boards while Jackson dished out five assists and grabbed six rebounds.
Omaha shot .500 (36-of-72) from the field and .333 (9-of-27) from deep. The Mavericks outscored the Jackrabbits 38-24 in the paint, 11-9 on fast break points and 11-9 off turnovers. They committed just five miscues themselves, marking a season low.
Call Him Kid Clutch
Mitch Hahn has been responsible for three key buckets in the closing seconds during Summit League play. The senior hit the game-winning trey at North Dakota (Jan. 10) with eight seconds left for a 92-91 win. At South Dakota (Feb. 7), Hahn's triple with six seconds remaining in regulation sent the game to overtime at 87-87 before Omaha recorded a 107-102 victory. And Thursday night vs. South Dakota State, his fadeaway jumper with 0.2 seconds left lifted the Mavericks to the victory at home.
Scoring Notables
• Over the last seven games, Zach Jackson has averaged 19.9 points per game and has at least 20 points in five of them: 22 at Western Illinois (Jan. 17), 21 vs. South Dakota (Jan. 20), 25 at Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 24), 22 vs. North Dakota (Feb. 3) and 27 at South Dakota (Feb. 7).
• Over the last five games, Mitch Hahn (12), KJ Robinson (12), JT Gibson (10) and Jackson (six) have combined for 40 of Omaha's 43 threes.
• Five Mavericks have made at least four triples in a single game this season: Gibson (eight times), Hahn (four times), Jackson (three times), Robinson (twice) and Ayo Akinwole (once).
• Omaha has had at least five double-figure scorers eight times, most recently at South Dakota (Feb. 7), when it was six in one game. Six Mavericks have finished in double figures seven times in the Division I era and 12 times in the Derrin Hansen era.
• All five starters have scored in double figures on four occasions.
• The Mavericks have shot .500 or better as a team 11 times, including nine of the last 13 games. They are undefeated when shooting at least .500.
• The Mavericks' 107-102 overtime win at South Dakota (Feb. 7) marked their first 100-point scoring output.
Threes, Please
Omaha ranks 16th nationally with a .390 shooting percentage from distance and 77th nationally as a team with 219 3-pointers made. JT Gibson has been a major factor from long range, and the junior is 79th in the country for 3-point percentage (.390).
The Mavericks have 11 games with double-digit triples this season.
League Leaders
Omaha ranks in the top third of the Summit League for scoring (third at 81.0), field goal percentage (third at .483), field goals made per game (second at 30.1), 3-point percentage (second at .390), steals per game (third at 6.0) and fewest turnovers per game (first at 10.2).
Mavericks by Month
After going 5-1 in the month of January, Omaha has continued its winning ways with a perfect 3-0 start to February. The Mavericks' starting five has led the charge this month: Zach Jackson (24.5 ppg/5.5 rpg), Mitch Hahn (18.5 ppg/4.0 rpg), KJ Robinson (18.0 ppg/3.5 rpg), JT Gibson (15.0 ppg/4.5 rpg) and Matt Pile (11.5 ppg/6.5 rpg).
Action Jackson
Over 24 games in his senior campaign, Zach Jackson has a team-best 18.3 points with 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.8 steals per game. He ranks 90th nationally for scoring and 101st for total points (439), is the fourth-best scorer in the Summit League and also ranks third among league players for free throws made (93). Jackson's 1,431 points are 95th among the NCAA's Division I active career leaders for scoring.
Jackson had 10 straight games in double figures from Nov. 6 to Dec. 8, and he had another nine-game streak from Dec. 19 to Jan. 24.
JT's Junior Year
JT Gibson has scored in double figures in all but three games this season, and had an 11-game streak from Dec. 21 to Feb. 7. He has scored 15 or more points in a night on nine occasions, highlighted by a career-high 22 points with three rebounds, three assists and a steal vs. Denver (Dec. 28), followed by 21 points, three boards, a career-high eight assists and three steals vs. Oral Roberts (Dec. 30).
Gibson has eight games with four or more 3-pointers, led by a five-triple efforts at Oregon (Dec. 8) and vs. Denver (Dec. 28). He ranks sixth in the Summit League for 3-pointers made (60) and fourth for steals (32). In league play, he has averaged 14.4 points per game.
Gibson, who has scored in 56 straight contests, is Omaha's active career leader for threes made.
JT for Three
JT Gibson is the only Omaha player to hit a three in all 24 games this season. The streak is the longest of his career, surpassing his previous best of 19 straight games from Nov. 20, 2017 to Jan. 25, 2018.
With a team-high 60 treys, he ranks sixth among Summit League players. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native broke into Omaha's top 15 for career triples Dec. 6 at Seattle and now ranks 10th (152).
Milestones in the Making for Jackson
Zach Jackson came into his final season on the brink of with two major milestones. Nov. 9 at Minnesota, he became the 39th 1,000-point scorer in program history and sits in seventh all-time for scoring with 1,431 points. He needs 27 points to pass Phil Cartwright (1988-92), whose 1,457 points occupy the sixth spot.
Jackson also has 492 rebounds over his career -- now needing eight to meet the 500 mark -- after Thursday night's six-rebound performance moved him into 20th all-time for career caroms.
Jackson is on track to become the 12th player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 500 boards, and he is 69 points and eight caroms away from becoming just the second player in program history to reach 1,500 points and 500 rebounds.
On Jan. 2, Jackson joined the top 20 in school history for career field goals and is now 10th with 483 made. He moved into 20th for career steals (101) Feb. 3 vs. North Dakota.
Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Mitch Hahn has been a major factor in Omaha's success of late, as the senior has averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with .542 shooting over the last 14 games. He has scored in double figures in each one, marking the longest double-figure streak of any Maverick this season. The numbers are up from his previous 10 games, during which he had 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and shot .308 from the floor and .229 from three.
The Fremont, Neb., native also owns five games with at least three 3-pointers, hitting three apiece against Minnesota (Nov. 6) and Northern Arizona (Nov. 14) and a season-best four at Idaho (Dec. 15), vs. North Dakota State (Jan. 2) and vs. South Dakota State (Feb. 14). He has four double-doubles on the year: at Rice (Dec. 21) with 18 points/11 rebounds, at North Dakota (Jan. 10) with 17 points and 11 rebounds, at Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 24) with 23 points/15 rebounds and at South Dakota State (Jan. 26) with 14 points/15 rebounds.
The Pile Driver
Matt Pile is shooting at a .607 clip in his sophomore campaign, ranking second among Summit League players. He is the league leader for offensive rebounds (67) and also ranks fifth for rebounds per game (7.4) and total rebounds (178). In league-only games, he is first for offensive boards (41).
The Goddard, Kan., native has scored in double digits 15 times this year. He delivered back-to-back double-doubles vs. North Dakota State (Jan. 2) with 19 points/12 rebounds and at North Dakota (Jan. 10) with a career-best 20 points/10 rebounds. Over the last 15 games, Pile has six double-doubles and has averaged 11.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest.
Just a year and a half into his career, Pile's is Omaha's active career leader in for blocks (53). He joined the top 15 in school history with a season-best four-block performance Jan. 20 vs. South Dakota.
Here's to You, Mr. Robinson
KJ Robinson returned to the Mavericks' starting five Dec. 6 at Seattle, playing his first game since Nov. 20. He hit five 3-pointers en route to 17 points that night and has since averaged 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in the 16-game stretch. Robinson put up a season-best 23-point performance Jan. 26 at South Dakota State, canning four triples and adding five rebounds and four steals.
With a 3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio this year, Robinson ranks 16th nationally. He is Omaha's active career leader for assists (168).
The Evolution of Zach Jackson
Zach Jackson has been a four-year starter, averaging 12.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for his career. The Wichita, Kan., native has scored in 71 straight contests dating back to Jan. 7, 2017 and has 73 consecutive starts since Dec. 29, 2016.
From his freshman campaign to his junior year, Jackson evolved into an all-league player and last year became the sixth Maverick in the Division I era to score 500+ points in a single season.
Ayo!
Ayo Akinwole made his first start of the season Nov. 24 vs. Montana State, and the Papillion-LaVista product came to play. Akinwole had a perfect shooting day, finishing 8-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-4 from deep, en route to a career-high 20 points. He also had four rebounds, a season-high six assists and a career-high-tying three steals.
Akinwole's sophomore campaign has him at 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game over 19.3 minutes per contest.
Down But Not Out
Omaha overcame a 16-point deficit to win Thursday night vs. South Dakota State, marking the fourth time this season the Mavericks have worked past a double-digit deficit. The previous three were a 17-point rally at Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 24), a 14-point comeback at North Dakota (Jan. 10) and a 15-point one at Bethune Cookman (Nov. 20).
Over Derrin Hansen's 14-year career, the Mavericks have prevailed over a double-digit deficit 30 times, including 18 in the Division I era.
Compared to the Opposition
Over its 24 contests this season, Omaha has:
•More or equal field goals made compared to its opponent 15 times
•More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent 12 times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent 11 times
•More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent 11 times
•More or equal assists compared to its opponent 11 times
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent 17 times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 18 times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent 11 times
Home Sweet Homaha
Omaha played 12 games at home in 2017-18, and eight of its nine wins came at Baxter Arena. This season, the Mavericks are 8-2 at home. They average 84.9 points per game and have an average margin of victory of 14.6 points.
Up Next
Omaha plays its final home game, welcoming Western Illinois on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Gary Sharp and former Maverick John Karhoff will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha men's basketball team is set for another top-three matchup with third-place Purdue Fort Wayne this Saturday, Feb. 16 at Baxter Arena at 4:30 p.m. Gary Sharp and former Maverick John Karhoff will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for pregame Senior Day recognition for senior duo Zach Jackson and Mitch Hahn.
Quick Hits
• Omaha sits in second place in the Summit League standings, only a half-game behind South Dakota State.
• The Mavericks' 6-1 start to league play before a loss at SDSU (Jan. 26) matched its previous best set in 2015-16.
• Omaha has won 12 of its last 14 games. It won five straight decisions on the road from Dec. 15 - Jan. 24, the most since seven straight from Jan. 2 - Feb. 19, 2011.
• The Mavericks have outrebounded seven of their last nine opponents.
• Omaha is the only team in the league to have all five starters averaging double figures: Zach Jackson (18.3 ppg), JT Gibson (13.9 ppg), Mitch Hahn (12.9 ppg), KJ Robinson (12.0 ppg) and Matt Pile (10.7 ppg).
• Omaha joins South Dakota State as the only two teams with three players in the conference's top 15 for scoring. Jackson is fourth, Gibson is 12th and Hahn is 15th.
• The Mavericks rank eighth nationally for fewest total turnovers and 11th for fewest turnovers per game. They have had single-digit turnovers in 11 of the last 15 games, including a season-low five Thursday night.
• Robinson has limited himself to 23 turnovers in 21 games. In league play, Gibson and Ayo Akinwole both have just eight miscues in 11 games.
• Omaha hit two century marks Thursday: its 100th win since gaining membership in the Summit League in 2012-13 and Derrin Hansen's 100th career conference win since taking the reins of the Maverick program in 2005-06.
• The Mavericks were picked eighth in the 2018-19 Summit League's Preseason Poll, and Jackson was a first-team Preseason All-Summit selection.
• Jackson collected second-team All-Summit accolades as a junior. Since Omaha joined the Summit League in 2012-13, 10 Mavericks have combined for 12 All-Summit awards.
• Jackson and Hahn are both team captains for the second straight year.
Scouting the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
Purdue Fort Wayne is 17-10 (9-3 Summit League) after its fifth straight win, 94-81 at Denver Thursday night. John Konchar finished with 29 points and a career-high 14 assists with seven rebounds and three steals and was joined in double figures by Matt Holba (22 points), Kason Harrell (15) and Dee Montgomery (13). The Mastodons hit 16 threes as a team, led by six from Holba.
Purdue Fort Wayne, which finished 18-15 (7-7 Summit League) a year ago, was voted fourth in the Summit League's preseason poll. Konchar was a first-team Preseason All-Summit selection and totes three first-team all-league awards over his career. Head coach Jon Coffman is 95-63 in five years at Purdue Fort Wayne.
All-Time Against Purdue Fort Wayne
Saturday marks the 17th meeting between Omaha and Purdue Fort Wayne, and the Mastodons lead the all-time series 11-5, all in the Mavericks' Division I era. The Mastodons have a 5-2 advantage in Omaha since 2011-12, including but Omaha has won the last two contests in the series.
Omaha and Purdue Fort Wayne last met Jan. 24 in Fort Wayne, Ind., where the Mavericks prevailed 85-79 in overtime. In their last matchup at Baxter Arena on Feb. 10, 2018, Omaha won 90-85.
Last Time Out: Hahn's Game-Winner Seals Comeback Over South Dakota State, 85-84
With 0.2 seconds remaining in the game, senior Mitch Hahn buried a buzzer-beating jumper from the baseline to give Omaha an 85-84 victory over South Dakota State Thursday night at Baxter Arena. The win was the Mavericks' third straight, pulled them within a half-game of the Summit League lead and snapped SDSU's nine-game win streak.
A record crowd of 4,228 was on hand for the Valentine's Day battle, besting Baxter Arena's previous basketball mark of 4,106 set last season vs. Fort Wayne.
Hahn scored a team-high 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting – including 4-of-5 from deep -- with eight rebounds and a career-high seven assists to lead the Mavericks. A trio of teammates followed with 17 points apiece in Matt Pile, KJ Robinson and Zach Jackson. Pile also added a team-high nine boards while Jackson dished out five assists and grabbed six rebounds.
Omaha shot .500 (36-of-72) from the field and .333 (9-of-27) from deep. The Mavericks outscored the Jackrabbits 38-24 in the paint, 11-9 on fast break points and 11-9 off turnovers. They committed just five miscues themselves, marking a season low.
Call Him Kid Clutch
Mitch Hahn has been responsible for three key buckets in the closing seconds during Summit League play. The senior hit the game-winning trey at North Dakota (Jan. 10) with eight seconds left for a 92-91 win. At South Dakota (Feb. 7), Hahn's triple with six seconds remaining in regulation sent the game to overtime at 87-87 before Omaha recorded a 107-102 victory. And Thursday night vs. South Dakota State, his fadeaway jumper with 0.2 seconds left lifted the Mavericks to the victory at home.
Scoring Notables
• Over the last seven games, Zach Jackson has averaged 19.9 points per game and has at least 20 points in five of them: 22 at Western Illinois (Jan. 17), 21 vs. South Dakota (Jan. 20), 25 at Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 24), 22 vs. North Dakota (Feb. 3) and 27 at South Dakota (Feb. 7).
• Over the last five games, Mitch Hahn (12), KJ Robinson (12), JT Gibson (10) and Jackson (six) have combined for 40 of Omaha's 43 threes.
• Five Mavericks have made at least four triples in a single game this season: Gibson (eight times), Hahn (four times), Jackson (three times), Robinson (twice) and Ayo Akinwole (once).
• Omaha has had at least five double-figure scorers eight times, most recently at South Dakota (Feb. 7), when it was six in one game. Six Mavericks have finished in double figures seven times in the Division I era and 12 times in the Derrin Hansen era.
• All five starters have scored in double figures on four occasions.
• The Mavericks have shot .500 or better as a team 11 times, including nine of the last 13 games. They are undefeated when shooting at least .500.
• The Mavericks' 107-102 overtime win at South Dakota (Feb. 7) marked their first 100-point scoring output.
Threes, Please
Omaha ranks 16th nationally with a .390 shooting percentage from distance and 77th nationally as a team with 219 3-pointers made. JT Gibson has been a major factor from long range, and the junior is 79th in the country for 3-point percentage (.390).
The Mavericks have 11 games with double-digit triples this season.
League Leaders
Omaha ranks in the top third of the Summit League for scoring (third at 81.0), field goal percentage (third at .483), field goals made per game (second at 30.1), 3-point percentage (second at .390), steals per game (third at 6.0) and fewest turnovers per game (first at 10.2).
Mavericks by Month
After going 5-1 in the month of January, Omaha has continued its winning ways with a perfect 3-0 start to February. The Mavericks' starting five has led the charge this month: Zach Jackson (24.5 ppg/5.5 rpg), Mitch Hahn (18.5 ppg/4.0 rpg), KJ Robinson (18.0 ppg/3.5 rpg), JT Gibson (15.0 ppg/4.5 rpg) and Matt Pile (11.5 ppg/6.5 rpg).
Action Jackson
Over 24 games in his senior campaign, Zach Jackson has a team-best 18.3 points with 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.8 steals per game. He ranks 90th nationally for scoring and 101st for total points (439), is the fourth-best scorer in the Summit League and also ranks third among league players for free throws made (93). Jackson's 1,431 points are 95th among the NCAA's Division I active career leaders for scoring.
Jackson had 10 straight games in double figures from Nov. 6 to Dec. 8, and he had another nine-game streak from Dec. 19 to Jan. 24.
JT's Junior Year
JT Gibson has scored in double figures in all but three games this season, and had an 11-game streak from Dec. 21 to Feb. 7. He has scored 15 or more points in a night on nine occasions, highlighted by a career-high 22 points with three rebounds, three assists and a steal vs. Denver (Dec. 28), followed by 21 points, three boards, a career-high eight assists and three steals vs. Oral Roberts (Dec. 30).
Gibson has eight games with four or more 3-pointers, led by a five-triple efforts at Oregon (Dec. 8) and vs. Denver (Dec. 28). He ranks sixth in the Summit League for 3-pointers made (60) and fourth for steals (32). In league play, he has averaged 14.4 points per game.
Gibson, who has scored in 56 straight contests, is Omaha's active career leader for threes made.
JT for Three
JT Gibson is the only Omaha player to hit a three in all 24 games this season. The streak is the longest of his career, surpassing his previous best of 19 straight games from Nov. 20, 2017 to Jan. 25, 2018.
With a team-high 60 treys, he ranks sixth among Summit League players. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native broke into Omaha's top 15 for career triples Dec. 6 at Seattle and now ranks 10th (152).
Milestones in the Making for Jackson
Zach Jackson came into his final season on the brink of with two major milestones. Nov. 9 at Minnesota, he became the 39th 1,000-point scorer in program history and sits in seventh all-time for scoring with 1,431 points. He needs 27 points to pass Phil Cartwright (1988-92), whose 1,457 points occupy the sixth spot.
Jackson also has 492 rebounds over his career -- now needing eight to meet the 500 mark -- after Thursday night's six-rebound performance moved him into 20th all-time for career caroms.
Jackson is on track to become the 12th player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 500 boards, and he is 69 points and eight caroms away from becoming just the second player in program history to reach 1,500 points and 500 rebounds.
On Jan. 2, Jackson joined the top 20 in school history for career field goals and is now 10th with 483 made. He moved into 20th for career steals (101) Feb. 3 vs. North Dakota.
Feelin' Hahn, Hahn, Hahn
Mitch Hahn has been a major factor in Omaha's success of late, as the senior has averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with .542 shooting over the last 14 games. He has scored in double figures in each one, marking the longest double-figure streak of any Maverick this season. The numbers are up from his previous 10 games, during which he had 7.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and shot .308 from the floor and .229 from three.
The Fremont, Neb., native also owns five games with at least three 3-pointers, hitting three apiece against Minnesota (Nov. 6) and Northern Arizona (Nov. 14) and a season-best four at Idaho (Dec. 15), vs. North Dakota State (Jan. 2) and vs. South Dakota State (Feb. 14). He has four double-doubles on the year: at Rice (Dec. 21) with 18 points/11 rebounds, at North Dakota (Jan. 10) with 17 points and 11 rebounds, at Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 24) with 23 points/15 rebounds and at South Dakota State (Jan. 26) with 14 points/15 rebounds.
The Pile Driver
Matt Pile is shooting at a .607 clip in his sophomore campaign, ranking second among Summit League players. He is the league leader for offensive rebounds (67) and also ranks fifth for rebounds per game (7.4) and total rebounds (178). In league-only games, he is first for offensive boards (41).
The Goddard, Kan., native has scored in double digits 15 times this year. He delivered back-to-back double-doubles vs. North Dakota State (Jan. 2) with 19 points/12 rebounds and at North Dakota (Jan. 10) with a career-best 20 points/10 rebounds. Over the last 15 games, Pile has six double-doubles and has averaged 11.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest.
Just a year and a half into his career, Pile's is Omaha's active career leader in for blocks (53). He joined the top 15 in school history with a season-best four-block performance Jan. 20 vs. South Dakota.
Here's to You, Mr. Robinson
KJ Robinson returned to the Mavericks' starting five Dec. 6 at Seattle, playing his first game since Nov. 20. He hit five 3-pointers en route to 17 points that night and has since averaged 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in the 16-game stretch. Robinson put up a season-best 23-point performance Jan. 26 at South Dakota State, canning four triples and adding five rebounds and four steals.
With a 3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio this year, Robinson ranks 16th nationally. He is Omaha's active career leader for assists (168).
The Evolution of Zach Jackson
Zach Jackson has been a four-year starter, averaging 12.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for his career. The Wichita, Kan., native has scored in 71 straight contests dating back to Jan. 7, 2017 and has 73 consecutive starts since Dec. 29, 2016.
From his freshman campaign to his junior year, Jackson evolved into an all-league player and last year became the sixth Maverick in the Division I era to score 500+ points in a single season.
Ayo!
Ayo Akinwole made his first start of the season Nov. 24 vs. Montana State, and the Papillion-LaVista product came to play. Akinwole had a perfect shooting day, finishing 8-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-4 from deep, en route to a career-high 20 points. He also had four rebounds, a season-high six assists and a career-high-tying three steals.
Akinwole's sophomore campaign has him at 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game over 19.3 minutes per contest.
Down But Not Out
Omaha overcame a 16-point deficit to win Thursday night vs. South Dakota State, marking the fourth time this season the Mavericks have worked past a double-digit deficit. The previous three were a 17-point rally at Purdue Fort Wayne (Jan. 24), a 14-point comeback at North Dakota (Jan. 10) and a 15-point one at Bethune Cookman (Nov. 20).
Over Derrin Hansen's 14-year career, the Mavericks have prevailed over a double-digit deficit 30 times, including 18 in the Division I era.
Compared to the Opposition
Over its 24 contests this season, Omaha has:
•More or equal field goals made compared to its opponent 15 times
•More or equal 3-point field goals made compared to its opponent 12 times
•More or equal free throws made compared to its opponent 11 times
•More or equal rebounds compared to its opponent 11 times
•More or equal assists compared to its opponent 11 times
•More or equal steals compared to its opponent 17 times
•Fewer or equal turnovers compared to its opponent 18 times
•More or equal blocks compared to its opponent 11 times
Home Sweet Homaha
Omaha played 12 games at home in 2017-18, and eight of its nine wins came at Baxter Arena. This season, the Mavericks are 8-2 at home. They average 84.9 points per game and have an average margin of victory of 14.6 points.
Up Next
Omaha plays its final home game, welcoming Western Illinois on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Gary Sharp and former Maverick John Karhoff will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
Players Mentioned
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