Nov. 26, 2005

Box Score

DALLAS - Rookie Nnenna Akotaobi (Thornton, Colo.) tallied 13 points and four rebounds, while Jenna Cole (Lincoln, Neb.) and Lauren Reini (Portland, Ore.) each contributed 11 points, however it was not enough to overcome Louisiana-Monroe, who beat the Pioneers 66-54 Saturday evening in the third-place game of the Hoops for the Cure Classic, hosted by Southern Methodist University. Denver falls to 1-2 on the season, while ULM moves to 3-1.

After falling behind 17-0, Denver found its offensive attack off the bench as the Pioneer reserves accounted for 39 of DU's 54 points.

"With the exception of Jenna Cole and Sara Benham, our starters did not come ready to play tonight," said head coach Pam Tanner. "Our play off the bench really carried us back into the game and I'm really proud of our younger players who really stepped up and contributed."

From the opening tip, ULM overwhelmed the DU starters with an outside shot and a stifling full-court press. It was not until the 11:27 mark that Denver would get on the board with a free throw by Anne Jasperson (Corvallis, Ore.). Denver slowly made its way into the game, scoring the first six points from the line as ULM saw foul trouble early. With the score at 19-6, Akotaobi hit a jumper with 8:38 in the half to give Denver its first field goal of the game. Akotaobi and Cole teamed up to score Denver's next nine points with Jasperson sinking another free throw to end the half.

After the break, the Pioneers emerged with a drastically different look and attitude. Sara Benham (Muleshoe, Texas), Christina Hurtado (Tucson, Ariz.), Akotaobi, Jasperson and Cole started the second half for Denver. The young lineup brought DU back from a 12-point deficit at the half to within two at 43-41 with nine minutes left. However, the Lady Indians were not giving up, keeping DU from ever holding the advantage. Rookie Andie Mason (Gilbert, Ariz.) hit a three to cut the Lady Indian lead to one, but ULM's LaJeanna Howard answered back with one of her four treys to move Louisiana-Monroe back up by four. After a jumper by Jasperson, Reini added back-to-back layups to bring Denver back within three at 55-52. That would be the closest the Pioneers would get as Howard went on the score 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting, leading ULM to the 12-point win.

Despite the loss, Denver made a remarkable turnaround in the second half after a dismal start. While the Pioneers produced 20 turnovers in the first half, DU only had six in the final half with a lineup consisting of four rookies. In addition, Denver went from being outscored 30-18 in the first half to matching ULM's 36-point production in the second.

Up next, the Pioneers make their return to Denver and open the 2005-06 season at home with a 7 p.m. matchup against Portland Friday, Dec. 2.