Nebraska-Omaha had the perfect start on Saturday night to pull off an upset win that would have pulled the MIAA’s best, Emporia State, back to the pack with its second straight loss.
UNO’s Heather Pohl came out on fire and had four 3-pointers before the fans at White Auditorium could even get settled in their seats.
For most teams, Pohl’s and the Mavericks’ fast start would lead to a quick conclusion that tonight is just not their night. Of course, most teams don’t have two senior point guards that do not take kindly to losing, and especially losing two straight.
Cassondra Boston and Lacy Corker helped the fifth-ranked Lady Hornets withstand UNO’s quick start and carried their team to a 96-78 bounceback win.
“Lacy really responded like you hope seniors would after a tough loss,” Schneider said. “Cassondra was pretty steady, just like she always has been, and I liked our balance on the offensive end.”
That balance Schneider speaks of came about in the second half, when both point guards had already done their part to make sure the Lady Hornets were playing with a comfortable lead. Early on, when their offense was needed, they rose to the occasion, combining for 28 points in the first half.
Boston kept it close early, scoring eight of the Lady Hornets’ first 12 points by attacking the basket relentlessly.
Usually Schneider keeps Boston on the floor when he makes his first substitutions, but Boston had expended so much energy at the start, she came out of the game and handed the keys to Corker.
Corker has not been nearly the offensive threat as Boston this season. Granted, she has always been more of a pass-first guard, but her scoring numbers have dipped this season. She came into the game averaging 4.6 points and had scored in double figures in conference only one time.
“I thought before the game, I haven’t been playing good really all season, and my season’s coming to an end within the next month or so, so it’s time to start stepping up,” Corker said.
Corker was aggressive right away, scoring on a runner that answered Pohl’s fourth straight 3-pointer, which had given UNO its biggest lead at 18-12.
Corker pulled the Lady Hornets within two with a steal and layup that made it 20-18. Boston gave ESU its first lead, 23-22, with a 3-pointer. Corker gave the Lady Hornets their first lead of more than one with a 3-pointer, which she followed with an assist that set up a Sophia Lenard 3-pointer.
During a 24-9 run that turned a one-point game into a 16-point lead for ESU, Corker scored nine of her season-high 18 points, took a charge and stole an outlet pass, one of her game-high five steals, to set up an Alli Volkens basket.
“I’ve thought for a long time that we’d like for her to be more aggressive,” Schneider said of Corker. “Do we expect her to get 18 a night? No. But I think she’s too strong and too fast to not get to the line more. She’s too good of a shooter to not look at the basket, and I think she’s so much into that make-plays-for-others mode sometimes that she’s so unselfish it maybe hurts her game a little bit.”
Boston’s and Corker’s scoring also helped open things up for their teammates in the second half, and the Lady Hornets got big contributions from their inside players. Brittney Miller had 17 points and eight rebounds; Alli Volkens had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Negesti Taylor scored 11 points.
The ESU offense once again resembled itself after struggling to get going in the loss at Central Missouri. The problem that night wasn’t as much offense, the Lady Hornets said, as it was their defense. Both improved against UNO.
“I liked our energy. I know we gave up 78 points, but I feel like we really forced them to make some plays and make some tough shots,” Schneider said. “Our defense affected the tempo of our offense, which was obviously a little bit faster tonight.”
The tempo was faster because UNO tried to guard Boston and Corker from baseline to baseline, a move that obviously backfired.
The Lady Hornets (20-2, 13-2 MIAA) should be appreciative. The Mavs helped wake up Corker, and with five games left in conference and two senior point guards leading the way, an MIAA championship is looking more and more inevitable.
Saturday at White Auditorium
Emporia State 96, Nebraska-Omaha 78
Nebraska-Omaha 38 40 — 78
Emporia State 55 41 — 96
NEBRASKA-OMAHA (11-10, 6-8 MIAA)
Pohl 5-8 3-4 18, Nelson 6-9 5-6 17, Green 5-14 4-4 14, Frauendorfer 4-5 0-0 8, Nash 4-9 0-0 8, Herold 2-5 2-2 7, Zaruba 0-4 4-4 4, Sanders 0-0 1-2 1, Reeves 0-0 1-2 1, Rinehart 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-55 20-24 78.
EMPORIA STATE (20-2, 13-2 MIAA)
Boston 9-17 4-5 24, Corker 6-10 4-5 18, Miller 5-7 7-12 17, Taylor 4-7 3-3 11, Volkens 3-6 4-4 10, Ferrell 1-3 2-2 4, Augustyn 0-3 4-4 4, Cummings 1-1 1-2 3, Lenard 1-5 0-0 3, Hanf 0-2 2-2 2. Totals 30-61 31-39 96.
3-point goals — Nebraska-Omaha 6-16 (Pohl 5-7, Herold 1-2, Green 0-3, Nash 0-1, Zaruba 0-3), Emporia State 5-14 (Corker 2-2, Boston 2-6, Lenard 1-2, Augustyn 0-2, Hanf 0-2). Fouled out — Nebraska-Omaha: Pohl; Emporia State: None. Rebounds — Nebraska-Omaha 26 (Green 6), Emporia State 36 (Volkens 11). Assists — Nebraska-Omaha 7 (Green 4), Emporia State 12 (Augustyn 5). Total fouls — Nebraska-Omaha 30, Emporia State 22. Att. — 1,965.