Nov. 14, 2015
Ashley Polacek scored 22 points in her collegiate debut Saturday.
OMAHA, Neb. (UCFKnights.com) -- A barrage of 3-point field goals to open the second half sparked the University of Nebraska-Omaha to a 75-60 win over UCF in the season-opener for both squads at the brand-new Baxter Arena Saturday afternoon.
Related: UNO-UCF Box Score | HTML Box Score
UNO led 40-32 at halftime, but opened the second half on a 10-0 run. That outburst was ignited by a pair of Remy Davenport 3-pointers and put UCF in an 18-point hole. Davenport converted five of the Mavericks' 10 triples in the game en route to 18 points.
UCF cut the lead to single digits twice in the fourth quarter. An Aliyah Gregory bucket with 1:28 to go pulled the Knights back within eight, 68-60. But that would the last time UCF would score, as UNO extended its lead back to 15 by the final buzzer.
Polacek's Dazzling Debut
- Freshman Ashley Polacek did everything she could to keep UCF in the game in her debut. The Ottawa, Canada native scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists.
- Polacek got it going early. She scored nine of UCF's first 10 points.
- The rookie was 9-of-19 shooting and 2-of-7 from three-point range.
- Four of her six rebounds were at the offensive end of the floor.
Reasor's Resounding Return
- Makenzi Reasor appeared in seven games before missing the rest of the season with an injury in 2014-15. She returned to the floor for the first time since tearing her ACL on Dec. 6, 2014.
- Reasor logged 17 minutes and scored 11 points off the bench in her return to action.
- She also grabbed five rebonds (three at the offensive end).
Banging the Boards
- UCF out-rebounded UNO 49-37.
- The Knights grabbed 17 offensive boards and outscored UNO 16-12 in second-chance points.
- Joslyn Massey, who sat out last season after transferring from Purdue, pulled down a game-high 14 of those rebounds, including seven at either end of the floor.
Tough Turnovers
- Turnovers hurt the Knights, as they racked up 19 giveaways to 14 for the Mavericks.
- UNO took advantage of those turnovers, as well. The Mavericks held a 21-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
Story by Andy Seeley; Photos courtesy of Mark Kuhlmann