Nov. 26, 2002

Box Score

The University of Denver women's basketball team fell to the University of San Diego, 56-37, at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, Calif., Tuesday. Denver drops to 0-2 on the season, while San Diego improved to 2-0.

In the first half, Denver struggled to get into an offensive set, registering just two points in the first eight minutes of the game, and finishing the stanza with only 10 points. The San Diego defense was effective in slowing down leading scorer Ashley Atkinson (Springfield, Mo./Kickapoo), who scored four points in the period. Denver shot just 17 percent from the field, notching only five field goals. The Toreros shot 51 percent, led by Marta Menuez who scored 16 points in the paint (shooing 8-10 from the field), and took a 35-10 lead to the locker room. Freshman Amber Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) made her collegiate debut as a starter for Pioneers at point guard, and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

Denver began the second half with a 9-0 run, stalling the previously potent USD offense with a full court press defense. The Pioneers continued on a 13-7 run midway through the half behind six points from sophomore forward Nicky Eason (Carpentersville, Ill./Barrington). Denver outscored USD 27-19 in the second half, and outrrebounded the Toreros 42-37 for the game, but it was not enough to overcome the 25-point halftime deficit.

"In the second half we played with a lot more intensity; if we could have started the game with that intensity, it would have been a different game," head coach Pam Tanner said. "I thought rebounding was a highlight for us and we slowed them down in the second half, but we have a lot of work to do."

Eason led the team with nine points, all in the second half as the Pioneers shot an improved 38.5 percent in the second half. Menuez led the Toreros with 20 points, and Erin Malich added 12.

The Pioneers will continue their nine-day trip in Hawaii at the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Classic. Denver will face defending national champion Connecticut in the first round on Friday, Nov. 29 at 10 p.m., MT.