University of Denver
2-2
Loyola Marymount
3-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 41 | 30 | 71 |
| Loyola Marymount | 37 | 39 | 76 |
Men's Basketball Falls on the Road, 76-71
12/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2004
LOS ANGELES - Senior guard Erik Benzel (Spokane, Wash.) scored 22 points, but the Denver Pioneers committed 23 turnovers and were defeated 76-71 by Loyola Marymount on Wednesday night in Gersten Pavilion. The Pioneers fall to 2-2 on the year, as LMU improves to 3-1.
"Our effort was there tonight and I was proud of the way we never quit," said head coach Terry Carroll. "We turned the ball over at critical times and need to get tougher and stronger especially on the road."
Both squads got off to a hot start in the game's early minutes as LMU's Daryl Pegram jump shot from the left wing pulled the Lions to within, 9-7 with 15:41 left in the half. LMU remained warm scoring eight on the game's next 11 points, pulling ahead, 16-11 at the 11:57 mark.
The play turned ragged as senior guard Erik Benzel's (Spokane, Wash.) 3-point play with 7:57 remaining in the half made it a one point contest, 21-20. Denver cleaned up its act and pulled in front 35-32 off a jump shot by senior point guard Rodney Billups (Denver, Colo.) with only 3:23 left in the first stanza. Billups hit two free throws with seconds remaining to push the Pioneers' lead to four (41-37) at the break.
Benzel tallied 17 points in the half off 6-of-12 shooting, including four from downtown. The Pioneers shot a combined 51.7 percent (15-of-29) without junior center Yemi Nicholson (Denver, Colo.) who only played six minutes due to two early fouls. The Lions who shot a combined 53.8 percent (14-of-26) were led by Mathew Knight's 14 points. The two teams combined for 21 turnovers, 10 by Denver and 11 by LMU.
A sluggish second-half start offensively for the Pioneers as they only got two free throws by Billups in the half's first four minutes to remain up, 43-41. Two more free throws, this time by junior guard Brett Seger (Omaha, Neb.) kept Denver ahead, 50-48 with 11:56 left in the game.
A turn-around jump shot by Pegram kept LMU within two at 57-55 at the 7:37 mark. The Pioneers' lead was as big as seven, but a 14-6 run by the Lions put them ahead, 69-66, with just three minutes remaining. Denver was unable to overcome another late run by the home team falling to LMU, 76-71.
Denver was led by Benzel's 22. Nicholson added 12. Knight (17), Pegram (15), Charles Brown (17), and Brandon Worth (15) were all in double figures for the Lions. LMU made 55 percent (27-of-49) of its shots in the win as Denver turned the ball over 23 times in the loss.
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, Dec. 4, when they begin a three-game homestand with Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m.
