OMAHA (Interstat) — Cahmai Crosby scored 21 points and grabbed four rebounds to lead Omaha to a 73-65 victory over Mid-America Christian in a men’s NCAA Division I non-divisional basketball game Monday at Baxter Arena. Crosby, a guard, added three assists in 31 minutes as the Mavericks won their season opener and moved to 1-0. The attendance was 1,452. Omaha used a balanced supporting effort and a decisive second-half run to hold off Mid-America Christian after the teams traded momentum through much of the game.

Omaha took a 41-33 lead into halftime after closing the first half with a flurry. The Mavericks and Mid-America Christian traded early baskets, with Deke Thompson opening the scoring on a layup and Amar Kadic answering with a jumper for Mid-America Christian. Isaac Ondekane made a free throw, Taiden Conner made two free throws, and Thompson hit a 3-pointer before Jv Seat’s layup tied the score at 6. Crosby made a 3-pointer, Corey Skillman scored on a jumper and free throw, and Mike Carter made a layup as Mid-America Christian moved ahead 11-9. Dace Pleasant answered with a 3-pointer for Omaha, Morris Williams made two free throws, and Jordan hit a 3-pointer to put the Mavericks ahead 15-13. Jordan then keyed Omaha midway through the half with a pullup jumper, a layup and a free throw, then another 3-pointer during a stretch from 13:01 to 10:54 that helped Omaha open a 23-13 lead. Mid-America Christian responded with a 3-pointer from Amar Kadic, free throws from Morris Williams and a floating jumper by Williams to cut the deficit to 23-20. Omaha later got a layup from Hudson Linsenmeyer, a jumper from Grant Stubblefield and a layup by Corey Skillman for Mid-America Christian before Deke Thompson made a 3-pointer. Conner hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 31, but Ondekane made free throws and a layup, and Crosby made 3-pointers at 53.9 seconds and 6.4 seconds remaining in the half, sandwiching a Zander Baker layup for Mid-America Christian, as Omaha built its eight-point halftime cushion.

Mid-America Christian opened the second half with a push. Grant Stubblefield made a driving layup for Omaha, but Jv Seat made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to cut Omaha’s lead to 43-41. Crosby answered with a layup, but Taiden Conner scored inside to make it 45-43. Mid-America Christian eventually tied the score at 47 on Corey Skillman’s layup with 14:45 remaining. Omaha then produced the key response of the game. Jonny Jordan hit a stepback jumper, Crosby made a 3-pointer and Grant Stubblefield scored on a layup to complete a 7-0 run and put the Mavericks ahead 54-47. Seat hit another 3-pointer to bring Mid-America Christian within 54-50, but Omaha took control with a 17-3 run over the next several minutes. Crosby scored on a layup and completed a three-point play, Stubblefield converted a layup and free throw, Deke Thompson made free throws, Isaac Ondekane made free throws, and Dace Pleasant made free throws as Omaha stretched its lead to 71-53 with 3:16 left. Mid-America Christian closed with a late flurry, getting a layup from Taiden Conner, a three-point play from Corey Skillman, a dunk by Chidi Umeh, a pullup jumper from Jude Hill and a layup and free throw from Hudson Linsenmeyer, but Omaha’s lead held. Mid-America Christian closed the game on a 12-2 run after Omaha had taken its largest lead, making the final margin eight points.

Crosby, a guard, was Omaha’s top performer, finishing with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes. Isaac Ondekane, a center, added seven points, seven rebounds, one assist and one block in 24 minutes; the 6-foot-8, 250-pound native of Kinshasa, Congo, previously played at Sunrise Christian. Deke Thompson, a guard, had 13 points, three rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes. Jonny Jordan, a guard, also scored 13 points, with three rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes. Grant Stubblefield, a guard, contributed 11 points, six rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes; the 6-foot-1, 190-pound guard previously played at Blue Valley Northwest. Dace Pleasant, a forward, had six points, seven rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes. Chris Dockery, a forward, posted two points, three rebounds and one assist in 10 minutes. Gavin Baker, a forward, played two minutes, Justin Bolis, a forward, had one rebound in 14 minutes and Heri Bukinga, a center, had one block in 10 minutes.

Omaha scored 73 points from 71 possessions for an offensive rating of 103.2. The Mavericks had nine offensive rebounds, five assists, three blocks, 15 turnovers and 19 fouls. Mid-America Christian finished with 65 points. Omaha led 41-33 at halftime and then sealed the win with its second-half surge. The Mavericks improved to 1-0 with the non-divisional victory.

Omaha’s upcoming schedule includes games at BYU and Utah State, home contests against York (NE), Lindenwood, Lamar and Mount Marty, neutral-site matchups with UC Davis, Pacific and Jacksonville State in Las Vegas, and a road game at Lindenwood.