Nov. 16, 2001

Box Score

DENVER - The senior backcourt duo of Melissa Garcia (Thornton, Colo./Thornton) and Nikki Weddle (Denver, Colo./Montbello/CU) combined for 40 points to lead the University of Denver women's basketball team to a 79-47 season-opening victory over in-state rival Air Force at Magness Arena Friday night.

The Pioneers broke the game open in the first five minutes of the second half, taking a 24-point lead (57-33) with 14:32 to play on back-to-back 3-pointers from Garcia. The Pioneers pushed the lead to 30 points and used their entire roster to finish the game with the 32-point decision.

Denver got off to a 9-0 lead as Weddle scored nine points in the first half, including two 3-pointers to help the Pioneers penetrate the Air Force zone defense. The Falcons failed to score for the first 4:30 of the game when Lotoya Howell got Air Force on the board at 15:37 to make the score 9-3. Air Force mounted a 10-2 run, capped by a Morgan Bennett three pointer to close to within three points (26-23) at 4:00 in the first half. Denver built its lead back to eight points to take a 37-29 advantage to the locker room.

Sophomore Stephanie Hart (Shoreline, Wash.) turned in a solid performance with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Garcia and Weddle each scored 20.

The Pioneers continue the season Sunday in a game vs. San Diego at 1 p.m. at Magness Arena. The game will be televised regionally on FOX Sports Net Rocky Mountain with Todd Mansfield and Sandy Williams on the call.