Feb. 7, 2002

Box Score

Misty Staton (Duke, Okla./Duke) scored 16 points in the second half to lead the University of Denver women's basketball team on a furious comeback to defeat South Alabama 55-50 at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala. Denver improves to 11-12, 7-4 on the season and moves into second place in the Sun Belt Conference West Division standings. USA drops to 16-6, 6-4.

The game was a classic tale of two halves as Denver scored just 14 points in the first period and trailed by 11 points, but in the second stanza, the Pioneers outscored the Jaguars 41-25 and shot 58.6 percent from the field. In addition to Staton, Nikki Weddle (Denver, Colo./Montbello/CU) scored 12 points and Nicky Eason (Carpentersville, Ill./Barrington) scored nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Joi gopher led the Jaguars with 19 points and Lyletha Gamble added 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Against the nation's third-ranked defense (allowing 53.0 ppg.), the Pioneers erased the 11-point halftime deficit with an 18-7 run fueled by nine points from Staton off the bench. Denver used a full court press to close within four points at 32-28 with 12:40 to play and continued its defensive pressure to stifle the Jaguar offense. Denver took its first lead of the game at 45-43 with three minutes to play when Staton hit a jumper just inside the three-point line. The Pioneers finished the game on a 10-6 run to earn the five-point decision 55-50.

"I thought we played 40 minutes of defense tonight," Pam Tanner said. "This might have been our best defensive game of the season. Misty came in and saved us (with her scoring output) and Melissa Garcia had the guts to hit two big three-pointers at the end of the game."

In the first half, South Alabama got out to a 12-4 lead, before Denver scored six straight points and held the Jaguars scoreless for the next six minutes until Jamene Curd converted one free throw to make the score10-13 with nine minutes to play in the half. The Jaguars finished the half on a 13-4 run, capped by Joi Gopher's third three pointer of the game as time expired in the period, to make the score 25-14 at the intermission.

The Pioneers now wait until next Thursday and return to the South to take on New Orleans on Valentines Day (Feb. 14) at 6 p.m. (MST).