University of Nebraska at Omaha players gave coach Don Klosterman a break after defeating South Dakota last week for his 200th coaching victory.

The weather was so cold and windy and he faced a bus ride home, so they decided not to douse him with Gatorade after the 3-2 win.

“I said thank you for that,” Klosterman said.

The season has dramatically changed for UNO after two Summit League victories last weekend. The 3-11 Mavericks are now in contention for the league title with a 3-1 record. That’s after starting the season 0-10.

Watching the team’s perseverance and improvement during that tough stretch ranks among the most rewarding moments of his career, Klosterman said.

“For these guys not to just fold and figure our season is over — that’s to their credit and says a lot about their characters and personalities and what they went into this for,” Klosterman said.

UNO has the weekend off, then will try to win its last four games and the regular-season title. They are ineligible for the postseason until 2015.