Jan. 11, 2006

Box Score

GREELEY, Colo. - Senior center Yemi Nicholson (Aurora, Colo.) recorded his ninth double-double (fifth consecutive) of the year with a season-high 33 points and 14 rebounds and junior forward DaShawn Walker (Chicago, Ill.) had 14 points as the Denver Pioneers defeated the Northern Colorado Bears, 79-73 tonight at Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. The Pioneers fourth consecutive win, first on the road this season ups their record to 9-6. The Bears fall to 2-17.

Senior guard Andrew Carpenter (Toronto, Ontario) added 11 points for DU, all in the first half. Kirk Archibeque led UNC with 27 points. Sean Taibi added 24 points and Matt Kline had 10 points for the Bears. Both teams shot the ball really well with the Pioneers making 54.5 percent (30-55) of their attempts and the Bears making 52.8 percent (28-53), including 46.2 percent (6-13) of their 3-pointers. UNC also has 20 assists.

"It was a huge win for us," head coach Terry Carroll said. "To go on the road, into a hostile environment and to come out with a win was much needed. It was a much needed confidence boast for our team."

Walker tied the game at 10-10 with a floater in the lane at the 16:14 mark of the first half. A 5-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Taibi gave Northern Colorado a 17-12 lead with 12:18 remaining in the half. Junior forward Antonio Porch's (Denver, Colo.) layup at the 7:45 mark pulled Denver to within 26-22. Archibeque converted a traditional 3-point play to give the Bears a 33-32 advantage with only 3:53 left in the half. A DU 5-0 run topped off by a Nicholson layup gave the Pioneers a 41-37 halftime advantage.

Nicholson recorded 15 points first-half points and Carpenter registered 11. Archibeque added 13 for UNC. Both teams shot the ball well with DU making 58.1 percent (18-31) of its shots. The Bears made 53.8 percent (14-26) of their shots, including 4-of-8 (.500) of their 3-point attempts. UNC also recorded 10 assists.

Taibi's 3-pointer at the 16:12 mark of the second half added to an 11-2 Bear run that gave UNC a 48-47 lead. DU did open a five-point lead but four consecutive points by Dwayne Birden closed the gap to one at 57-56 with 11:32 remaining in the game. DU's lead got as big as six, but an Archibeque layup at the 6:49 mark made the score 66-62 Denver. Four consecutive free throws by Taibi put the score at 68-66 with only 4:06 left in the game. The Bears did not get any closer as DU held on for the 79-73 victory.

Denver returns to league play against Florida International on Sat., Jan. 14, at 4 p.m. in Hamilton Gymnasium.