Nov. 23, 2005

Box Score

BEAUMONT, Texas - Junior Tyesha Lowery (Arlington, Texas) shot 3-for-6 from behind the arc and finished with 14 points to lead all scorers as the University of Denver women's basketball team beat Lamar 45-42 in its season opener Wednesday evening in Beaumont, Texas. The Pioneers overcame poor shooting and 25 turnovers to post their first road win since Feb. 19, 2004.

"We went through some tough phases in the game where we had trouble converting baskets," said head coach Pam Tanner. "It's something that can be expected at this point in the season. I was pleased with our effort and intensity and our ability to get contributions from several different people. It's our first road win in a long time and it's something that the kids can be proud of."

Lamar took control early and forced Denver into three quick turnovers to jump out to a 4-3 lead. However, a spark off the Pioneer bench courtesy of Nnenna Akotaobi (Thornton, Colo.), Jenna Cole (Lincoln, Neb.) and Ali Butler (Longmont, Colo.) fueled a nine-point run in which Denver countered by forcing six Cardinal turnovers for a 17-15 lead. Denver improved to a 24-15 advantage off buckets by Cole and Venice Adams (Luling, La.) and established a dominant defensive presence in the paint early, drawing four charges and nullifying Lamar's inside attack.

After a jumper by Cole at the 8:15 mark to bring the score to 24-15, both teams hit an offensive wall, failing to record a basket of any kind for nearly five minutes. Lamar's Valeisa Crenshaw finally ended the point drought with a layup to cut Denver's lead to seven. After another bucket by Lamar, the Cardinals came within five points of Denver before sophomore Brooke Meyer (Denver, Colo.) buried a three as the shot clock expired. A pair of free throws by Adams gave DU a 30-21 lead heading into the break.

In the second half, junior Lauren Reini (Portland, Ore.) got DU off to a quick start with a bucket inside and a foul, however the Cardinals mounted a comeback with two baskets, for a score of 35-26. With a second half shooting percentage of 20.0%, Denver struggled to keep pace with Lamar's offensive attack as the Cardinals came back within five off a trey by Dionne Pounds.

At the 11:34 mark, Brooke Meyer (Denver, Colo.) grabbed her second three of the night to keep DU up top, 39-33, but Lamar answered back on the next possession bring Denver's lead down to four. After the Cardinals pushed within two, Sara Benham (Muleshoe, Texas) broke free for an easy layup to extend Denver's lead back to four at 41-37. With six minutes remaining, key rebounds by Butler on both sides of the court kept the Pioneers in control.

With two minutes remaining in the game, a free throw by Chelsea Gugliotta and a bucket by Shaquita Coffey moved the Cardinals within one. After a timeout by Lamar, the Pioneers committed their 25th turnover of the night, giving Lamar possession with 27.5 seconds remaining. Before it was over, Lamar would turn the ball over once again and two free throws by Benham would seal Denver's first road win since the 2003-04 season.

Adams led DU with nine rebounds and Cole grabbed four steals.

Up next, the Pioneers travel to Dallas, Texas to face Virginia Tech Friday at 4 p.m. in the Hoops for the Cure Tournament, hosted by Southern Methodist University. Online scoring is available at www.smumustangs.com and the match will also be broadcast via radio on tape-delay basis at 1600 AM at 7:30 p.m.