Jan. 20, 2005

Box Score

DENVER - Three players scored in double figures and junior center Yemi Nicholson (Denver, Colo.) tallied 26 points and 14 rebounds to lead the University of Denver men's basketball team to a 95-78 win over Arkansas State tonight in Sun Belt Conference play at Magness Arena. Denver's fourth-consecutive win improves the Pioneers to 9-6 overall and a perfect 4-0 in the SBC. The Pioneers begin conference play with four-straight wins for only the second time in history. ASU drops to 10-7, 3-2.

"We played extremely well tonight," said head coach Terry Carroll. "We dictated the tempo of the game from the start by our defense. Our defense got our offense going and we were able to push the ball down the court and create some transition baskets."

The Pioneers were nearly flawless in the first half, scoring a season-high 58 points. Denver began the game with a 9-2 run, boosted by a dunk from Nicholson. ASU's J.J. Montgomery hit a layup before Denver continued its offense push and blasted open a 15-2 run to put the score at 26-6 with 11:22 remaining in the half. The Pioneers continued to charge through the first stanza as Nicholson added 18 points, sophomore forward Antonio Porch (Denver, Colo.) contributed 11 and senior guard Erik Benzel (Spokane, Wash.) tallied 10 in the first half. Nicholson also contributed on defense, committing six blocks and ranking him eighth on Denver's all-time list. The Pioneers shot a season-high 67.7 percent (21-31) from the field, compared to the Indians' 32.4 percent (11-34).

The offensive rhythm continued in the second half, as the Pioneers and Indians traded basket-for-basket for the first four minutes, making Denver's lead, 65-40. Nicholson continued to dominate on offense, scoring eight points in just over two minutes, including a huge dunk to give the Pioneers a 30-point lead with 12:37 remaining in the game.

The Indians' Montgomery hit four layups to put ASU back in the game, but Benzel sunk two long-range buckets to keep the momentum with Denver. Contributions from freshman forward Joseph Jackson (Louisville, Neb.) gave Denver an 89-65 lead with 5:57 left to play. ASU tried to fight back with quick baskets from Jerry Nichols and Dewarick Spencer but it was too late as Denver ran away with a 95-78 victory.

Nicholson led all scores with 26. Benzel added 20 and Porch had 16. Spencer led ASU with 22 points. Nicholson also pulled down a game-high 14 boards, while teammate senior guard Rodney Billups (Denver, Colo.) contributed eight assists. The Pioneers outshot the Indians, 57.1 (32-of-56) to 41.4 (29-of-70) and outrebounded them, 40-31. The 95 total points were a season-high for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 22, when they play host to East Division leader Arkansas-Little Rock at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on live Fox Sports Rocky Mountain and heard on DenverPioneers.com.