Box Score March 8, 2003
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Senior captain B.J. Pratt (San Antonio, Texas) scored 24 points and sophomore point guard Rodney Billups (Denver, Colo.) had 13 points and a team-high two assists to lead the West No. 5 seed Denver Pioneers to a 72-68 win over the West No. 1 seed Louisiana-Lafayette Cajuns in the 2003 Aeropostale Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Tournament play this evening in E. A. Diddle Arena on the campus of Western Kentucky.
Denver improves to 17-14 overall, while Louisiana-Lafayette awaits either a NCAA or NIT bid at 20-9.
"This win is a credit to our team," said head coach Terry Carroll. "We has stressed since the first practice that a team can overcome an individual every time. Team together."
After ULL scored the first four points the Pioneers used two timeouts and responded, taking an 11-10 lead just four minutes into the game. Denver continued its hot shooting from last night, opening up a six-point margin (18-12) with 11:51 left in the half.
A made free throw by junior center Brett Starkey (Lakewood, Colo.) made the score 25-16 at the 6:28 mark. The Pioneers made five-of-six threes in the half, including two by Pratt that maintained Denver's nine-point advantage with just 3:32 remaining in the half. A 15-foot turnaround jumper at the buzzer by Starkey put DU up 11 (39-28).
The two teams traded buckets during the first four minutes of the second half, with the Cajuns managing to slice only one point off the Pioneers' lead (50-40). Denver's lead was cut to five, but DU responded leading by eight, 55-47, with 10:20 left on the clock. Louisiana-Lafayette just kept coming, but two free throws by Billups put the Pioneers up six, 57-51, at the 7:07 mark.
As crunch time approached ULL took its first lead since a 4-2 advantage early in the first half. A three-point basket by senior Leslie Richardson II (Aurora, Colo.) put DU up one, 61-60, with just 3:30 remaining in the game. Billups and Pratt made eight free throws in the final minute to secure Denver's second-ever postseason victory.
Denver will face the winner of the East No. 2 seed Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (19-8) and the West No. 3 seed South Alabama Jaguars (14-13) match-up in the semifinals of the SBC Tournament on Monday, March 10. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. MT and can be heard live on either AM 950 "The Fan" or its sister station AM 1600 or over the Internet at DenverPioneers.com.
