VERMILLION, S.D.—Omaha fought back from a 21-point deficit in the second half to beat South Dakota 79-73 Saturday inside the DakotaDome and remain unbeaten in the Summit League at 4-0. Tra-Deon Hollins scored a game-high 17 points and Devin Patterson added 16 for Omaha (12-6), which has won its last six.
Shy McClelland scored 15 points and
Tre Burnette had 14 for South Dakota (9-9, 1-3), which has lost its last three home games.
Eric Robertson scored 13 points and
D.J. Davis finished with 11.
Omaha trailed 52-31 with 14 minutes left to go. Its league-leading offense had been held to 10 field goals and the Mavericks, who ranked second nationally in steals, were being outscored 22-0 in points off turnovers.
What started with a Jake White jumper turned into a 46-19 Omaha wave. The Mavericks scored on 22 of their final 28 possessions including every possession from the four-minute mark on. Omaha made 20 of 22 free throws in that span and 11 of 18 shots. Hollins had 13 during the run. Patterson and Tre'Shawn Thurman scored 11 each.
Omaha entered the game with the second-most made free throws and free-throw attempts in the nation. The Mavericks made 29 of 35 Saturday while limiting South Dakota to three attempts.
Hollins' 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining completed the comeback, giving Omaha a 72-70 lead. It was the Mavericks' first lead since 3-2. Thurman hit a 15-footer to make it 74-70 with 1:14 left.
Casey Kasperbauer hit a 3 for South Dakota to make it 74-73 with 58 ticks left. Patterson drove for an uncontested layup on the ensuing possession to make it 76-73. Robertson missed a long two on the other end and Kyler Erickson made 1 of 2 free throws for Omaha to make it 77-73 with 18 seconds left.
Omaha shot 56 percent in the second half (14 of 25) after making 8 of 22 in the first. In addition to his 17 points, Hollins had eight assists, five steals and five rebounds.
Burnette scored 12 of his 14 points in the first to help South Dakota take a 38-26 lead into the break. He fouled out at the 3:34 mark of the second half when USD led 68-63. Robertson and Davis both had nine first-half points.
South Dakota returns to the court Wednesday against North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D.
