Omaha Men's Basketball Hosts Major Test In Lindenwood on Friday

OMAHA - The Omaha men's basketball team (2-2) hosts a major test on Friday night as it welcomes Lindenwood (2-2) to Baxter Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:45 p.m. or 40 minutes following the completion of the Omaha vs. Drake women's game. Gary Sharp and Kyler Erickson will have the call on the Summit League Network and the Varsity Sports App. Fans can buy just one ticket for both the men's and women's game on Friday night. Tickets are available at omahamavs.com/tickets.

Mavericks Face BIg Test Against Lindenwood on Friday night

The Omaha men's basketball team plays its first major home game of the season on Friday night as it welcomes the Lindenwood Lions to Baxter Arena.
Much like the Mavs, Lindenwood is 2-2 with wins over non-Division I teams and blowout losses to Power Four teams in TCU and No. 25 Nebraska.
Each team will be looking for its first DI win of the season.
Mav center Isaac Ondekane will be facing his former team on Friday night as the fifth year started his career at Lindenwood.

Series History

The teams have met just once in prior history as the Lions came away with a 72-70 victory in 2023 in Colorado Springs as part of the Air Force Classic.
Grant Stubblefield played 18 minutes in that matchup and had one rebound and two assists.
Isaac Ondekane was on the other side with Lindenwood, and he had 11 points and six rebounds for the Lions.

Scouting the Lions

Lindenwood definitely will look the part when it steps onto the court on Friday night at Baxter Arena.
Against No. 25 Nebraska, the Lions started 6-11 Makhan Diouf and 6-10 Matar Diop.
Diouf is the Lions' top scorer at 13.3 ppg while also averaging 6.3 rpg.
Shamiere Green has also been terrific for the Lions as the guard is averaging 12.3 ppg and is 11-for-20 (55%) from the three-point line this season.
Point guard Malie Archie and Kellen Robinson are also averaging double figures for the Lions.
The Lions rank in the top 10 in the country in offensive rebounds with 17.75 per game and rank 14th in the country in total rebounds per game at 47.75.
The Lions are led by Kyle Gerdeman who is in his eighth season with the Lions and has a 90-120 record.

Last Time Out

Omaha found its groove in the final eight minutes of the game to pull away from York in a 78-66 win on Tuesday night.
Justin Bolis had the best game of his career as the senior went for 29 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double.
Bolis was key in a 21-3 run that helped the Mavs close out the Panthers as Bolis scored 14 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting and 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the final eight minutes of the game.
Deke Thompson reached double figures again with 14 points and freshman Jonny Jordan Jr. was a spark off the bench again with a personal 7-0 run to tie the game in the late minutes of the second half. He finished with 10 points.

A Man's Game

Omaha has plenty of size and length and that came to fruition on Tuesday night against the Panthers.
Omaha broke the school record for total rebounds in a game with 59.
Omaha also had 23 offensive rebounds that led to 26 second chance points.
Omaha currently leads the Summit League in rebounds per game (42.25) and is averaging 14 offensive rebounds a game.

Thompson Off to Hot Start for the Mavs

After playing just 11 minutes at Texas State before redshirting last season, sophomore Deke Thompson has been Omaha's most consistent scorer through the first four games of the season.
Thompson is the Mavs' leading scorer so far this season at 14.2 points per game.
Thompson has been able to score at all three levels as he's made 10 three-pointers but has also gotten to the line 21 times this season.
Thompson is the first player since Marquel Sutton in 2022 to score in double figures in the first four games of their Maverick career.

Hello Justin Bolis

It was no secret that Justin Bolis was off to a bit of a slow start to the season, but that changed on Tuesday night as the Lincoln, Nebraska, native had a career night with 29 points and 12 rebounds.
Bolis shot 9-10 from the field and got 17 chances at the foul line.
Bolis was a monster on the glass as eight out of his 12 rebounds were offensive.
In the previous three games, Bolis had just nine points and nine rebounds.

Cahmai "Chop" Crosby Shines in Debut

Cahmai Crosby made his name known in his first action with the Mavs against MACU as the senior went for 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting to lead the Mavs to victory.
Crosby, also known as "Chop" by his teammates, played a team-high 32 minutes and not only scored but grabbed four rebounds, had three assists and two steals.
His 21 points were a career high after averaging just 2.1 points per game last season at North Texas.
Crosby had 11 points against No. 25 BYU and nine points along with a career-high seven assists at Utah State.
Crosby got his nickname, "Chop", from childhood friends as it was his gamer tag, and the name has continued to stick to this day.

Stubblefield to Lead the Mavs in the Backcourt

A familiar face returns to Omaha as Grant Stubblefield begins his fourth season with the Mavericks.
Stubblefield started 22 games at point guard last season, averaging 9.3 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.
The Overland Park, Kansas, native was named to the Preseason All-Summit League Second Team heading into the 2026-27 season.
Stubblefield is doing a little bit of everything so far this season as he's averaging 6.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 3.0 apg.
Last season, he ranked fifth in the Summit League with a 2.10 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Ondekane Healthy for His Final Season

Coaches and fans were excited to see what Isaac Ondekane could accomplish in the 2025-26 season after he transformed his body during the offseason. However, an ankle injury prevented him from reaching the court as anticipated.
The center from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, returns healthy for his final season, renewing the excitement surrounding his potential impact.
Ondekane played 25 minutes against MACU in his first game since March 20, 2025, and had a productive seven points and seven rebounds for the Mavs. He was 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Ondekane has been great on the glass so far this season as he leads the team with 7.5 rpg and is averaging 4.5 ppg.
Ondekane is Omaha's most experienced player from the Mavericks' 2025 NCAA Tournament run, having started all but one game during the 2024-25 season.
That year, Ondekane averaged 5.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

Jordan Jr. Providing Spark off the Bench

Freshman Jonny Jordan Jr. has had no problem jumping right into action his freshman season.
Jordan Jr. is averaging 10 ppg and has scored in double figures in three out of the four games this season.
Jordan Jr. got the Mavs into gear on Tuesday night against York as he went on a personal 7-0 run that started a 21-3 run for the Mavs to give them the victory.
Jordan Jr. was a top 10 high school player in Missouri out of Chaminade High School in St. Louis.
He averaged 22.5 points per game and led Chaminade with 119 assists during his senior season, earning Metro Catholic Conference Player of the Year honors.

Home Sweet Home

Baxter Arena has been a friendly home for the Mavericks over the past three seasons.
Omaha has defended its home court at a high level, compiling a 34-9 record at Baxter Arena over that span.

For updates and exclusive content, follow the Mavs on X (OmahaMBB), Instagram (omahambb) and Facebook.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Justin Bolis

Cahmai Crosby

Jonny Jordan Jr.

Isaac Ondekane

Grant Stubblefield

Deke Thompson

Footer