Feb. 21, 2002

Box Score

Denver -- - The University of Denver women's basketball team shot 77.8 percent from the field and 75 percent from three point range in the first half to open a commanding 51-23 first half lead en route to a 88-55 win over South Alabama Thursday at Magness Arena.

The win secured the second seed in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament (March 1-5) in New Orleans. Denver, the winners of four straight, improved to 14-12, 10-4 while USA fell to 17-9, 7-7 on the season.

"This was an important win for us tonight, and we rose to the occasion," head coach Pam Tanner said. "The players are starting to understand what we are trying to get out of the many different defensive schemes we run, and that certainly bodes well for us down the stretch. Our goal is to win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and get the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but we also want to put ourselves in a position to receive an NIT bid if we don't win the tournament, and these wins help us do that."

Nikki Weddle (Denver, Colo./Montbello/CU) led five Pioneers in double figures with 17 points, while Melissa Garcia (Thornton, Colo./Thornton) scored 14, Ashley Atkinson (Springfield, Mo./Kickapoo) scored 13, Kellie Carwell (Villa Park, Ill./Timothy Christian) scored 12 and Nicky Eason (Carpentersville, Ill./Barrington) scored 10.

Denver ended the night shooting a season-high 62.5 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from 3-point field goal range. The Pioneers also recorded a season high with 88 points, surpassing the 87 points scored Dec. 28 at New Mexico State (87-70). The point total was also a season-high for opponents vs. the third in the nation defense of South Alabama that allowed just 54 points coming into the game.

Denver reeled off 10 straight points to open a 31-15 lead midway through the first half and never looked back, taking a 51-23 lead to the locker room. The Pioneers led by as many as 36 points in the second half when Misty Staton (Duke, Okla./Duke) sunk one free throw to make the score 69-33.

The Pioneers will conclude the regular season Sunday hosting New Orleans in a 1 p.m. contest at Magness Arena. The game will be senior day for Nikki Weddle and Melissa Garcia.