DENVER - Led by Misa Pavlickova (Prague, Czech Republic/Boulder) who scored 10 points and had 12 rebounds, the University of Denver women's basketball team escaped with a 48-47 win over UL-Lafayette Wednesday in a West Division Sun Belt Conference matchup. Denver improves to 14-5, 6-2 while UL-Lafayette falls to 6-11, 0-7.
"We were lucky get out of here with a win," head coach Pam Tanner said. "None of our key players performed particularly well so we are very fortunate. Kellie Carwell did a great job on the boards and made a big difference for us and Misa hit some key buckets at the end of the game. I'm just glade it's over."
Denver began the game on a 9-0 run as Ashley Atkinson (Springfield, Mo./Kickapoo) scored five points and UL-Lafayette failed to score for the first five minutes of the game. The Ragin' Cajuns got on the scoreboard, notching six straight points before the Pioneers hit back-to-back three pointers to go ahead 15-11. Denver went on an 8-2 run to take a 23-13 lead at 4:45. Hitting four three-point shots, the Pioneers took a 26-19 advantage to the locker room.
UL-Lafayette began the second half by scoring the first four points until Kellie Carwell (Villa Park, Ill./) sunk the first Denver shot to keep the Pioneers ahead 28-23. DeLesha Qqualls hit a short jumper to get the Cajuns within one point of the lead at 13:15. UL-Lafayette took its first lead of the game Charlotte Green converted two free throws to go ahead 37-36 at 9:03. Nikki Weddle (Denver, Colo./Montbello) regained the lead for the Pioneers from the free throw line 38-37 and Pavlickova scored the next five points to lead the Pioneers on a 10-4 run. Leading 47-42 with just 2:56 remaining in the game, Denver scored just one more point, but it was a critical free throw that made the score 48-44 which made the Cajuns' last second three-point shot moot.
With the 10 point, 12 rebound performance, Pavlickova recorded her fifth double-double of the season. Atkinson led all scorers with 11 points and Carwell finished the game with 13 rebounds and nine points, one point shy of a double-double. The Pioneers committed 20 turnovers and shot just 32.7 percent from the field. UL-Lafayette matched the numbers with 21 turnovers and shot just 33.3 percent from the field.
The Pioneers return home to finish a three-game week by hosting New Mexico State on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m., in the second game of a doubleheader with the men's team who will also play NMSU.
