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Published Thursday
December 11, 2003
Wildcats cash in early against UNO
BY ROB WHITE
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
RELATED LINKS
UNO Men's Basketball
»
WSC Men's Basketball
WAYNE, Neb. - UNO basketball players are still shaking their heads about sputtering starts.
The Mavericks, who have fallen behind by 10 points or more four times this season, couldn't climb out of the hole they dug Thursday night in an 80-74 loss to Wayne State before an estimated 1,000 at Rice Auditorium.
"We've got to get ready to play mentally as well as physically," Mav guard Arthur Boults said. "That's killing us at the start of games. We wait until we figure out we may lose and then we start playing hard."
The University of Nebraska at Omaha (7-2) lost what could later prove to be a key regional game against an improving Wildcat program that had previously suffered losses by four points or less to quality programs from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Chadron State and St. Cloud State.
"It's definitely a confidence builder," Wayne State Coach Rico Burkett said. "We feel like legitimately, if a couple of balls bounce our way, we'd be sitting here at 7-2 instead of 5-4. But each night out we feel like our kids are getting better and better."
Wayne State, led by 6-foot-8 center Brett Cain, built a 39-29 lead with 3:54 left in the first half and took a 46-35 halftime lead. UNO has trailed by eight points or more in the first half to four of the six NCAA Division II teams it has faced this season.
In the first half alone, the Mavs surrendered 10 offensive rebounds and managed only one steal despite pressing full-court.
The Wildcats, led by Derek Archer's deadly 3-point shooting, pushed their lead to 56-40 with 16:28 to play when the 6-4 junior from Bancroft-Rosalie (Neb.) drilled back-to-back long shots. A 60.4 percent (32 of 53) 3-point shooter for the year, Archer made 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
"We said we had to get under (No.) 32 and make sure he had to put it on the floor (dribble)," said UNO Coach Kevin McKenna, flabbergasted by his team's lack of defensive awareness and aggression. "And he gets seven open 3s. He should have made all seven, because they were all good looks except maybe one."
But, true to form, UNO began rallying.
"My question to the team is, 'Why can't we play like that when it's 0-0?'" McKenna said. "Why do we have to wait until it's crunch time, or get down by 15, before we start getting after it?"
Boults hit back-to-back 3s to start a charge that got the Mavs within 66-65 with 6:17 left. UNO had three possessions with a chance to take the lead, but missed three 3-point attempts.
Guard Dusty Smith, a Sioux City North product, drained his second key 3 of the second half to gave Wayne State some breathing room.
"You've just got to want to take those shots," Smith said.
UNO eventually closed to 70-69 on a basket in the lane by Boults, but Dallas Hodges responded with a driving basket and UNO was never again in position to take the lead. Smith made four free throws to keep the Mavs at bay.
"They kept testing our will and coming at us, but I thought our kids were pretty resilient and didn't break," Burkett said. "Early in the year I don't think we made those kinds of steps. It's good to win one of these games against a quality team that we know will be there in the regional competition at the end."
Boults, who has been putting in extra work before and after practice, finally rediscovered his jump shot in Wayne, and the Omaha Benson product scored 18 points while hitting 7 of 11 from the field.
Like the hard work spent on his shot, Boults hopes the Mavs can learn a lesson about the hard work it would have taken to win this one.
"Obviously tonight they were the team that wanted it most," he said. "They played with aggression and the attitude of wanting to win."
©2003 Omaha World-Herald. All rights reserved.
Published Thursday
December 11, 2003
Wildcats cash in early against UNO
BY ROB WHITE
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
RELATED LINKS
UNO Men's Basketball
»
WSC Men's Basketball
WAYNE, Neb. - UNO basketball players are still shaking their heads about sputtering starts.
The Mavericks, who have fallen behind by 10 points or more four times this season, couldn't climb out of the hole they dug Thursday night in an 80-74 loss to Wayne State before an estimated 1,000 at Rice Auditorium.
"We've got to get ready to play mentally as well as physically," Mav guard Arthur Boults said. "That's killing us at the start of games. We wait until we figure out we may lose and then we start playing hard."
The University of Nebraska at Omaha (7-2) lost what could later prove to be a key regional game against an improving Wildcat program that had previously suffered losses by four points or less to quality programs from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Chadron State and St. Cloud State.
"It's definitely a confidence builder," Wayne State Coach Rico Burkett said. "We feel like legitimately, if a couple of balls bounce our way, we'd be sitting here at 7-2 instead of 5-4. But each night out we feel like our kids are getting better and better."
Wayne State, led by 6-foot-8 center Brett Cain, built a 39-29 lead with 3:54 left in the first half and took a 46-35 halftime lead. UNO has trailed by eight points or more in the first half to four of the six NCAA Division II teams it has faced this season.
In the first half alone, the Mavs surrendered 10 offensive rebounds and managed only one steal despite pressing full-court.
The Wildcats, led by Derek Archer's deadly 3-point shooting, pushed their lead to 56-40 with 16:28 to play when the 6-4 junior from Bancroft-Rosalie (Neb.) drilled back-to-back long shots. A 60.4 percent (32 of 53) 3-point shooter for the year, Archer made 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
"We said we had to get under (No.) 32 and make sure he had to put it on the floor (dribble)," said UNO Coach Kevin McKenna, flabbergasted by his team's lack of defensive awareness and aggression. "And he gets seven open 3s. He should have made all seven, because they were all good looks except maybe one."
But, true to form, UNO began rallying.
"My question to the team is, 'Why can't we play like that when it's 0-0?'" McKenna said. "Why do we have to wait until it's crunch time, or get down by 15, before we start getting after it?"
Boults hit back-to-back 3s to start a charge that got the Mavs within 66-65 with 6:17 left. UNO had three possessions with a chance to take the lead, but missed three 3-point attempts.
Guard Dusty Smith, a Sioux City North product, drained his second key 3 of the second half to gave Wayne State some breathing room.
"You've just got to want to take those shots," Smith said.
UNO eventually closed to 70-69 on a basket in the lane by Boults, but Dallas Hodges responded with a driving basket and UNO was never again in position to take the lead. Smith made four free throws to keep the Mavs at bay.
"They kept testing our will and coming at us, but I thought our kids were pretty resilient and didn't break," Burkett said. "Early in the year I don't think we made those kinds of steps. It's good to win one of these games against a quality team that we know will be there in the regional competition at the end."
Boults, who has been putting in extra work before and after practice, finally rediscovered his jump shot in Wayne, and the Omaha Benson product scored 18 points while hitting 7 of 11 from the field.
Like the hard work spent on his shot, Boults hopes the Mavs can learn a lesson about the hard work it would have taken to win this one.
"Obviously tonight they were the team that wanted it most," he said. "They played with aggression and the attitude of wanting to win."
©2003 Omaha World-Herald. All rights reserved.