OMAHA, NEB. (Feb. 3, 2005)--For the first time since the 1999-00 season, the South Dakota women's basketball team fell to 1-5 in the North Central Conference play (13-8 overall), after suffering a 61-48 setback to the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (14-7, 4-2 NCC) at the Lee and Helene Sapp Fieldhouse in Omaha, Neb.

Points were a premium in the game with UNO leading just 22-18 at halftime, as each team shot less than 28% in the first half. The Coyotes didn't hit a field goal until the 14:53 mark in the game, when Meghan Woster (Sioux Falls, S.D.) hit a jumper to cut the Mavericks lead to 8-3.

USD, the top three-point shooting team in the nation, missed its first 16 three-point attempts before finishing finishing 3-of-23 (13%) for the game. It was the Coyotes' worst three-point shooting performance of the season.

The Coyotes were able to crawl back into the game as UNO didn't score a field goal in the final 4:41 of the stanza.

In the second half, the Mavericks used a 19-6 run early in the second half to gain a double digit advantage, which they maintained for the rest of the game.

Woster led the Coyotes in scoring with 10 points. Jenni Flynn (South Sioux City, Neb.) led USD in rebounding with nine, as the visitors were outrebounded by the Mavericks, 50-39.

As a team, USD finished 29.5% (18-of-61) from the field and 9-of-13 (69.2%) from the free throw line.

In comparison, UNO converted 38.1% (24-of-63) from the field including 9-of-19 (47.4%) from three-point land. From the line, the Mavericks were just 4-of-10.

J.J. Smith led UNO with 23, while Chelsie Groslie scored a career-high 14. Lindsey Peterson added 10 for the Mavericks. Carlye Jones grabbed a career-best 16 rebounds.

Each team had just 11 turnovers in the game.

USD will return home on Saturday, Feb. 5, to face Minnesota Duluth in the DakotaDome at 6 p.m.