Feb. 5, 2004

Box Score

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - A total team effort, highlighted by junior guard Erik Benzel's (Spokane, Wash.) 20 gave the Denver Pioneers a 68-54 victory over Sun Belt Conference-rival New Mexico State tonight (Feb. 5). The Pioneers improve to 13-7 overall and 5-3 in the SBC, while the Aggies fall to 9-10, 3-5.

"We played extremely well on the defensive end of the court," said head coach Terry Carroll. "We played as close to forty full minutes as we have all year. I am tremendously excited for what is in store for this basketball team."

A stone-cold start by both squads did not bother the Pioneers as senior center Brett Starkey (Lakewood, Colo.) hit a layup to give the Pioneers a 4-0 lead with 16:37 remaining in the first half. Denver's pressure defense kept New Mexico State scoreless for the first seven minutes as the Pioneers' offense began to percolate. Senior forward Zeljko Zupic (Sinj, Croatia) nailed two free throws at the 11:50 mark to give Denver a 12-3 lead.

The Pioneers got great first-half production from their bench as freshman forward Antonio Porch (Denver, Colo.) hit three free throws to give the Pioneers a two touchdown lead (22-8) with 7:55 left in the half. Denver remained in control, but Denver native Robert Frazier hit a baseline jumper for the Aggies at the 4:25 mark, making the score 31-12. Zupic notched another point from the charity stripe to give the Pioneers a 34-14 halftime lead.

Denver stayed aggressive to start the second half, getting to the free-throw line six times. Zupic swished another charity toss to put Denver up 41-21 with 15:22 remaining in the game. A Benzel 3-pointer stopped a 7-0 NMSU run and gave the Pioneers a 46-30 with 12:33 left. Two free throws by Gary Jackson kept New Mexico State within 16 (55-39) at the 7:51 mark. The Aggies got as close as 13, but Benzel nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to slam the door on the Aggies.

The win was Denver's fifth road-victory of the season. The Pioneers haven't won five road games in a single-year since the 1995-96 season, when they were playing at the Division II level.

Benzel led all scorers with 20. Zupic add 11 for Denver who shot 44.7 percent (21-47) from the field and 44.4 percent (9-21) from downtown. James Moore netted 16 for NMSU who shot just 38.1 percent (19-49) and 36.8 percent (7-19) from behind the 3-point arc. Senior forward Carvell McAlister (Fresno, Calif.) pulled down a team-high eight rebounds for the Pioneers, who won the rebounding battle, 38-25. Kelsey Crooks had nine for New Mexico State.

The Pioneers will conclude their two-game road trip on Saturday, Feb. 7, when they face SBC frontrunner Louisiana-Lafayette in Lafayette, La., at 6 p.m. MT. The game can be heard live on KKFN AM 950 "The Fan."