March 1, 2003

Box Score

The University of Denver women's basketball team ended the regular season with a 65-61 loss to West Division foe UL-Lafayette Saturday at Magness Arena on Senior Day. Denver finished the regular season 12-17, 6-9, while UL-Lafayette will take a 8-18, 4-11 record to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament beginning March 6 in Bowling Green, Ky.

After leading by as many as 10 points late in the first half, the Pioneers relinquished the lead midway in the second stanza and could not recover as Lafayette built on its momentum to steal the victory. Lafayette's Bernette Tolston hit six three pointers, including four critical long-range buckets in the second half to power the Cajuns.

Lafayette trailed 34-29 at the break, but started the second half on a 10-4 run to tie the game at 39 points. The Cajuns took their first lead of the game on a three pointer from Tammie White and built a 44-41 lead at the halfway point. Ragan Neblett (Arvada, Colo.) tied the game at 44 with a conventional three-point play before ULL used a 7-4 surge to earn a three-point lead with eight minutes to play. The Pioneers came back to tie the game when Nicky Eason knotted the score again at 51 with scores on consecutive possessions. Tolston hit three of her six three pointers in the final eight minutes to keep the Cajuns ahead, and eventually catapulted them to a 65-61 victory. Denver came back to lead 57-54 when Kellie Carwell (Villa Park, Ill./Timothy Christian) converted a layup from Neblett. But, Tolston answered with her fifth three pointer of the game to tie the game at 57 again, and Sarah Richey scored to give the Cajuns a two-point lead with 1:15 to play. Nicky Eason (Carpentersville, Ill./Barrington) got the Pioneers back even, but Tolston nailed her sixth three pointer to give ULL a 62-59 lead with 43.1 seconds to play. Eason made two free throws to inch the Pioneers to within one point of the lead at 62-61 with 29.9 seconds to play, but that was as close as the Pioneers came, falling 65-61 in their final home contest of the season.

In the first half, Ashley Atkinson (Springfield, Mo./Kickapoo) buried her first three pointer of the game to begin a 10-2 Pioneer run that pushed the score to 19-13 midway through the first period. The Pioneers continued on a 16-4 run to earn a 10-point lead before Lafayette responded with a 6-2 run to close within six points at 27-21. Lafayette scored the final five points of the half to inch to within five points of the Pioneers (34-29) at the intermission. Denver shot 48.3 percent from the field (14-29), including 4-9 from long range.

Eason recorded her second consecutive 20-poing game with 21 to pace the Pioneers. Tasha Jones added 10 poitns. Tolston accumulated 21 points, and Sarah Richey added 15, while Brooke Williams scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

The Pioneers now prepare for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament where their fate is yet undecided. Denver could finish fourth or fifth depending on the outcome of tonight's conference contests. The Pioneers will be the fourth seed if North Texas loses to West Division leader New Mexico State today, and face Arkansas-Little Rock who is winless in league play this season. Denver would play UALR Thursday, March 6 at 4:30 p.m. In the event the Lady Eagles win, the conference tie breaking procedures would be applied to determine the seeding for the tournament.