The Basics
The Mavericks will say goodbye to 2024 this week when they play their non-conference finale against Mount Marty at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Baxter Arena.
Gary Sharp will take the call on 1290 KOIL, and live stats, audio, and video can be found at OMavs.com.
- Last week, the Mavericks began their final homestand of the year with a commanding victory over Cal Poly, pulling ahead late and holding off the Mustangs’ final push to win 86-82.
- Omaha did the majority of its damage below the rim on Saturday, outscoring Cal Poly 40-26 in the paint and 21-7 on second chance points thanks to a season-high 17 offensive boards. That is Omaha’s highest total since January 18, 2020, when they had 17 offensive boards against Denver.
- Marquel Sutton’s streak of 10 consecutive games in double figures was broken two weeks ago in Iowa, but he rebounded with a 24-point performance on Saturday. This was his second time this season making at least ten field goals, having done so at Stetson on November 7th. Sutton finished the night with nine rebounds, bringing his season totals to 200 points (221) and 100 rebounds (103). This was also Sutton’s 49th game with double-digit points.
- Ja’Sean Glover led Omaha’s rebounding with 13 boards, a career high. Glover had 32 rebounds this season heading into the game.
- After tying his season high of 14 points last week, Kamryn Thomas became the sixth Maverick to score 100 points this year, finishing with 101.
- Tony Osburn made four three-pointers on Saturday, bringing his season total to 50. He has also had at least three three-pointers in five games.
- In October, Sutton was named Second Team All-Preseason for the Summit League, his first career honor. In 2023-24, he finished second on the team with 12.3 PPG (406 total) and led the Mavericks with 6.3 RPG (208 total boards).
- The Mavericks’ top transfers this year are Lance Waddles (NDSU), Joshua Streit (NDSU), and Isaac Ondekane (Lindenwood), who have a combined six years of Division I basketball experience. This year’s additions include top JUCO transfers Kamryn Thomas (2024 NJCAA Third Team All-American), Khamani Cooper (465 points as a freshman in 2024), and Valentino Simon (965 career points from 2022-24).
- Omaha has three captains this season: Marquel Sutton, Tony Osburn, and Lance Waddles.
- Head Coach Chris Crutchfield has a 38-59 career record. This is his fourth season as a head coach, and third with the Mavericks.
Scouting the Mount Marty Lancers
The Lancers, who have lost five games in a row, come to Omaha with a 6-7 record this week. Their most recent win was on November 26 against Hastings College (72-47). Last week, they lost 76-66 to Valley City State. Despite this, Mount Marty still has a 51.2 FG% for the year.
Junior guard Tash Lunday leads the Lancers’ offense with 308 points, nearly outscoring the next three highest scorers combined. This total places him third in the GPAC, while his 23.7 ppg ranks second.
So far this season, he has not scored fewer than 15 points in a game while also posting two 30-point games. Lunday has a 111-for-205 (54.1%) field goal percentage this season. He has also excelled defensively, averaging 125 total rebounds and 9.5 rebounds per game, both of which lead the conference.
Senior guard Brandon Garcia has also stood out this season, ranking second on the team with 122 points (9.4 ppg) and second in the conference with 62 assists. Sophomore guard Mac Ryken has also performed well, leading the team in 3-point FG% (.387) and FT% (.792) while ranking ninth in the GPAC with 21 steals.
Collin Authier, who is now in his fourth year as a head coach, previously worked as an assistant at Augustana for seven seasons and at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for another seven years. He helped Augustana win the National Division II championship in 2016.
All-Time Against Mount Marty
Omaha has never lost to Mount Marty, with a 2-0 record entering this week. Both victories came in the 1990s during Division II seasons, with a 79-54 win in 1997 and a 92-59 win in 1999.