Jan. 9, 2003

Box Score

The University of Denver women's basketball team dropped its Sun Belt Conference opening game to Florida International 74-55 Thursday at Magness Arena, ending a five game home winning streak. Denver drops to 6-9, 0-1 on the season, while FIU improved to 10-5, 1-1.

After trailing by seven points at halftime, the Pioneers pulled to within two points of the Panthers early in the second half. Tasha Jones (San Antonio, Texas) and Ashley Atkinson (Springfield, Mo.) buried three pointers on consecutive possessions to lead a 10-5 Denver run that got the score to 36-34 with just four minutes gone in the period. FIU answered with a 14-4 run that opened a 13-point lead with 12 minutes to play. The Panthers continued to dominate the boards and earned a 19-point victory.

Dace Cinite recorded a double-double with 27 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 13-17 from the field. Mandy Shafer had 16 points, and Ivelina Vrancheva added 10.

Denver was led by Jones who finished with 15 points, to match her career high. Atkinson had 14 points, including four three pointers, and Kellie Carwell (Villa Park, Ill./Timothy Christian) had 14 rebounds and eight points.

"We didn't have an answer for Dace Cinite tonight," Pioneer head coach Pam Tanner said. "We did a good job controlling Mandy Shafer and Cormisha Cotton, but Cinite burned us.

"The team is playing inconsistently right now, so it is frustrating. We will go to North Texas and get right back on the court to try again."

Denver will play North Texas Saturday in Denton, Texas at 2:30 p.m., MT. The game will be televised by ESPN Regional Television, and available via satellite. It can also be heard in the Denver Metro area on KCKK 1600 AM.