Clutch free throws helped the University of Nebraska at Omaha to the winner's circle.
The Mavericks went 4 for 4 in the final moments to help them hold off a late Wayne State rally in a 74-69 win in the Sunheat Classic on Saturday at the Heartland Event Center in Grand Island.
UNO went 22 of 28 from the line for the game, which included two each from Tyler Bullock and Dion Curry in the final moments.
“Those allowed us to stretch the lead to a two-possession game from two very good free-throw shooters,” UNO coach Derrin Hansen said.
Wayne State held its own against the Mavericks, trailing 37-32 at the break. But UNO picked up its defense to start the second half in holding the Wildcats to 10 points and forcing eight turnovers in the first 12 minutes. Bullock was a force for the Mavericks as he scored 11 of his 24 points in the opening moments of the second half.
The Wildcats suffered a blow when Brad Starken picked up his fourth foul early in the second half.
“That hurt because he does a good job of stretching the defense,” Wayne State coach Paul Combs said. “Their post guys are physical and play tough. They minimized a little bit of our post guys and guarded us one-on-one where we didn't have the advantage and they have great guards.”
After a Bullock dunk for the Mavericks made it 62-48 with seven minutes left, the Wildcats made a comeback by switching their defense from man-to-man to a 1-3-1. Following a free throw by Wayne State's Amry Shelby, Brett Spiker hit back-to-back baskets to start a 21-8 run for the Wildcats.
Starken nailed two 3-pointers in the run. Shelby scored the final four points for Wayne State to bring them back to within one, 70-69. However, the Wildcats had two turnovers before those points, and then after Shelby hit the final points on free throws, Elijah Miller and Starken each missed 3-pointers. UNO took advantage with the free throws by Bullock and Curry.
“(Wayne State) went to the zone defense and we didn't adjust to it at all,” Hansen said. “We had some looks at the basket but just couldn't get them to go. Wayne (was) being more aggressive on the glass and on the offensive end but our defensive communication was not good at all. They got some looks and made it to the free-throw line. After that it was anybody's game.
“But the thing I'm proud of is that we never lost our composure, even though we weren't successful at some things. Down the road this season, this type of game will help us.”
To go along with Bullock's 24 points, Curry added 16 points with 10 rebounds, while Jeff Martin chipped in 13 points.
Shelby paced Wayne State with 18 points.
Hansen said the Classic was something that he and the Mavericks enjoyed being a part of during the two days.
“It was a great event and we appreciate the hospitality that Grand Island did for us,” Hansen said. “The Heartland Event Center is a great facility and we got treated well. I would definitely recommend for other people to come to this event.”
UNO (5-0)...............37 37—74
Wayne State (1-3)..................32 37—69
UNO: Bridger 1-6 6-6 8, Martin 4-9 3-3 13, Bullock 7-14 10-10 24, Curry 7-11 2-6 16, Bain 1-3 0-0 2, Harris 1-4 0-0 2, Newman 4-5 1-1 9, LeBranch 0-1 0-0 0, Lynch 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 25-54 22-28 74.
WS: Shelby 5-11 6-7 18, DiGregorio 1-2 0-0 1 2, Starken 3-7 4-4 4 12, Miller 1-7 3-3 4 5, Metz 4-5 1-2 3 9, Rudloff 0-0 0-0 0, Spiker 4-6 3-4 11, Jensen 3-7 2-2 9, Messersmith 0-1 0-0 0, Tasa 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 22-49 20-24 69.
3-point goals: UNO 2-8 (Martin 2-5, Bridger 0-3), WS 5-17 (Shelby 2-3, Starken 2-6, Jensen 1-2, Miller 0-4, DiGregorio 0-1, Messersmith 0-1). Fouled out: Rudloff, Bain. Rebounds: UNO 25 (Curry 10), WS 34 (Spiker 7). Assists: UNO 14 (Bridger, Bullock 4), WS 12 (Miller 4). Turnovers: UNO 10, WS 19. Total fouls: UNO 18, WS 23. Technical: None. A: 113.
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