Omaha women's basketball falls to Illinois despite fourth-quarter rally
By Matt Kirkle, Contributor
Mariah Murdie and Mikaela Ekdahl returned to the Maverick lineup as the team traveled to Champaign, IL to face Illinois on Sunday afternoon. Omaha put together a strong comeback effort in the fourth quarter, but came up one possession short in their final non-conference game of their schedule.
The Mavericks and Illini have both had their fair share of shooting woes coming into Sunday’s game especially from behind the arc, with Omaha shooting 25% to Illinois’ 19%. The Illini’s offensive production stalled at the start, only making two of their first nine shots from the floor.
Omaha seized their first opportunity to jump on top, and saw four different players score in the first five minutes as Omaha jumped out to a 9-4 lead. Omaha was 4-of-6 to start the game. Illinois turned the engine over with back-to-back three’s by Naya Ephraim and Jada Peebles to regain the lead, and would go into the second quarter leading 12-11.
The entire half saw both teams struggling to find a groove. Each squad was forcing a lot of turnovers, but couldn’t find a rhythm hitting shots from the floor. Omaha’s zone defense bothered the Illini the entire game and forced them into uncomfortable situations—but at the same time, the Mavs missed plenty of open looks at the rim throughout the contest.
Illinois was out to a 19-13 lead when the Mavs found a spark to close the gap. Murdie was limited in her action on the floor after returning from her COVID-related absence, but hit four key free-throws to draw the Mavs closer, and Josie Filer knocked down a shot from distance to tie the game back at 22 to cap off a 9-3 Omaha run. Peebles would hit a jumper with 42 seconds left in the half to send Illinois to the half with a 24-22 lead. Both teams were shooting 30% from the floor and had at least 10 turnovers.
The Mavs’ shooting struggles continued after the intermission, but they were getting enough done to stay within reach of the lead. A pair of three’s out of the break by Filer and Claire Killian brought the Maverick deficit to 29-28 with 6:31 left in the third quarter. Illinois’ leading scorer averaging 20 points per game, Jeanae Terry, only scored two points on one made basket from the floor for the entire game. The Illini desperately needed other scorers to step up to lead the way. Their wish came true towards the end of the third quarter.
Illinois rebutted with a 14-5 run propelled by six points apiece from Peebles and Kennedi Myles, and finished up the third quarter with their largest lead of the game at 43-33.
Carrie Banks and Co. weren’t going to go out without a fight, especially with it being Banks’ first game coaching against the Big Ten since leaving Ohio State. Killian and Filer would give Omaha a quick five point burst early in the final frame, and it was enough energy to light the wick of a Maverick surge and start a fourth quarter rally.
From the 8:12 mark until there was 2:10 left in the contest, Omaha outscored the Illini 8-2 and went a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw stripe. Omaha was getting the job done on both ends of the hardwood and doing what it took to put them in a position to win. Illinois would proceed to make just one of their next eleven shots, while Omaha posted a shooting percentage of 55% in the final quarter. Sarah Schmitt hit a jumper to cut the Illinois lead to 51-50 with 1:08 left in the game.
Illinois killed a large part of the final minute by simply maintaining possession. Illinois would miss back-to-back three’s but grab the offensive rebounds for both to keep the clock running, but Peebles miss on the third attempt would give Omaha the basketball back with 19 seconds left and a chance to win.
Omaha would face a lot of defensive pressure on the ensuing possession as they tried to get a clean look at the basket, and the pressure forced a Maverick double-dribble with five seconds left on the clock to give the ball back to the Illini. Illinois held off the Mavericks’ intense rally and escaped with a 53-50 win.
The Mavs had three players in double-figures, led by Killian with 13 points and seven rebounds. Filer and Ella Ogier would also add 10 points. Omaha’s starters were on the floor for a majority of the contest, having four of the players log over 30 minutes and Schmitt log 27. Peebles led the Illini with 15 points. Omaha will have to wait until the new year to compete again, as they await Oral Roberts and the start of Summit League play on Jan. 2.