Feb. 5, 2004

Box Score

The University of Denver women's basketball team lost its fourth Sun Belt Conference game of the season as it fell to New Mexico State 66-45, Thursday night, at Magness Arena. Preseason SBC Player of the Year Sinnamonn Garrett led all scorers with 18 points. The Pioneers fall to 10-10 (3-5 SBC), while the Aggies improve to 10-10 (4-4 SBC).

Baskets by junior Tasha Jones (San Antonio, Texas) and Ragan Neblett (Arvada, Colo.) gave the Pioneers an early 6-2 lead with 17:44 remaining. Garrett changed the momentum of the game and quickly sparked the Aggies on a 12-2 run. Denver's Stephanie Hart (Shoreline, Wash.) added a basket to put the score at 24-13 with 8:34 left in the first half. In the next minute, the Aggies hit three 3-pointers to increase their lead to 16. Garrett hit another jumper to give NMSU its biggest lead of the half, 20 points, and leave the Pioneers trailing 40-20 with 3:06 remaining in the half. A pair of free throws by Neblett and a bucket by Hart cut the Aggies lead to 13 with 38 seconds left. NMSU's Morgan Overman hit a free throw with 21 seconds left to give the Aggies a 39-26 lead heading into the second half.

The Aggies made their season-best shooting percentage on the road, hitting 60 percent from the field (15-25) and from beyond the 3-point arc (6-10). The Pioneers shot 43.5 percent from the field (10-23) and shot only 25 percent from long range (1-4). NSMU also won the rebounding battle 14-11, in the first half.

"It was a struggle tonight," head coach Pam Tanner said. "They are a simple team to play, you have to stop two people and we didn't do it. They get they job done and it's all business."

NMSU's Overman made a layup to start the half but the Pioneers went on a quick 5-0 run, led by freshman Kaitlyn King (Albuquerque, N.M.), to cut NMSU's lead to 10. King hit another 3-pointer but Princess Moore answered with one of her own to put the score at 48-34 with 12:56 remaining in the game. The Aggies continued their offensive dominance as Keairra Moore scored five points in a 9-2 run, to put the score at 62-40 with 5:13 left in the game.

NMSU's Orphee Cherizard hit a jumper with 3:02 remaining to give the Aggies their biggest lead of the game, 23 points. Freshman Louise Gronemann (Copenhagen, Denmark) made a basket and Neblett added a pair of free throws, but Tristan Baker sealed the 66-45 win for the Aggies with nine seconds left in the game.

The Pioneer defense held Garrett to only one basket in the second half, but she still led all scorers with 18 points. Hart led the Pioneers with eight points and King, Neblett and sophomore Tyesha Lowery (Arlington, Texas) each added six. Hart and Cherizard led all rebounders with six apiece. Denver shot 27.3 percent in the second half (6-22) and 35.6 (16-45) percent for the game, compared to the Aggies' 50 percent for the game (26-52).

The Pioneers will return to action this Saturday, Feb. 7, when they host conference-opponent Louisiana-Lafayette at 3 p.m. MT in Magness Arena.