Jan. 17, 2004

Box Score

The University of Denver women's basketball team rallied from a seven point deficit to lead by seven points early in the second half, but could not sustain the advantage on the road, falling to Sun Belt Conference foe Florida International 59-54 Saturday. Denver falls to 7-8, 0-3 on the season, while FIU 8-8, 2-1.

Denver fought back from a three-point halftime deficit to lead by seven points early in the second half, but could not sustain the momentum and relinquished a 59-54 decision. Tasha Jones (San Antonio, Texas) led the Pioneers with 14 points, and Ragan Nebeltt (Arvada, Colo.) added 11 while Sarah Cyran (Broomfield, Colo.) scored 10. Milena Tomova led all scorers with 18 points, and Ivelina Vrancheva added 13.

Denver ended the first half on a 12-8 run and picked up where it left off in the second half, beginning on a 12-2 run to earn a 40-33 lead. Cyran worked the ball inside for the first four points in the second half to help the Pioneers dominate in the early going. FIU responded with a 6-2 run and continued on a 15-7 outburst that lasted four minutes to gain a 48-45 advantage with eight minutes to play.

Kaitlyn King (Albuquerque, N.M.) tied the game at 52 points with a three pointer with 2:25 to play, but the Pioneers did not score again until under a minute to play while FIU notched five points to earn a 57-52 advantage. Jones earned a layup in traffic to get the Pioneers within three points of the lead, but Doursiel Moore converted two free throws to make the score 59-54 and seal the win for the home team. Tyesha Lowery's (Arlington, Texas) shot was blocked in the final minutes and Jones' shot in traffic fell short.

Denver got off to a good start, scoring the first five points of the game and taking a 7-2 edge to start the league contest. Denver edged ahead by as much as 14-10 when Ragan Neblett scored here seventh points of the game. FIU sparked a 13-2 run to earn 23-16 lead with six minutes to play. Denver regrouped and finished the half with a slight 12-8 scoring edge to finish the half trailing by just three points (31-28).

The Pioneers will return home for a two-game homestand hosting Arkansas State Thursday, Jan. 22 at Magness Arena and Arkansas-Little Rock Jan. 24 at Hamilton Gym before the Pioneer hockey game.