Box Score DENTON, Texas - Venice Adams (Luling, La.) tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyesha Lowery (Arlington, Texas) added 15 to lift Denver to a 56-54 victory against North Texas Thursday. The Pioneers fought back from a five-point deficit in the final period and survived a last-minute comeback by the Mean Green to take the win and improve to 8-6 overall, 2-1 within the SBC. The loss ended a five-game North Texas win streak and gave the Mean Green their first loss at home this season.
"This was a great win for our team," said head coach Pam Tanner. "We really fought the whole way and made the decision that we were leaving here with a win. Once again, our defense made the difference down the stretch and we were able to deliver from the line during critical moments."
The Pioneers did not need to look any farther then Adams, Lowery and Sara Benham (Muleshoe, Texas) for scoring in the first half, who accounted for 29 of DU's 31 first half points. Both Adams and Lowery tallied 10 points apiece, while Benham added nine. With the game tied at 25, the Mean Green looked posed to establish a sizable lead, launching a six-point scoring run with two minutes remaining in the half. However, buckets by Adams and Lowery brought the Pioneers back into the game, trailing by only three points at the break.
Adams' basket to begin the second half was Denver's only field goal for eight minutes, however a solid defensive rebounding effort, combined with NT foul trouble, kept Denver within two. Jenna Cole (Lincoln, Neb.) broke DU's field goal drought with a layup in the paint at the 11:09 mark. With seven minutes remaining, North Texas pulled the lead out to five off two three-point plays by Mia Ajekwu. Free throws and strong defense continued to keep the Pioneers afloat until Cole delivered a vital trey, followed by a jumper by Lowery that put Denver back up by one at the 4:07 mark.
Four consecutive turnovers by North Texas allowed Denver to stretch its lead to four with 41.3 seconds remaining. At the 26.7 mark, the Mean Green's Sanetra Jackson converted a layup to make it a one possession game. North Texas clamped down on defense, forced a DU turnover and Erika Bobo delivered a layup to tie the game with 15 seconds remaining. With the last shot, the Pioneers stayed composed, while the pressure got the best of the Mean Green, who put Cole on the line with 01.4 seconds left on the clock. Cole delivered on both shots to move Denver to a 2-1 conference record and a tie for first in the west division of the SBC.
Denver finished the game with a 38.9 percent from the field on 21-for-54 shooting, while North Texas hit 22-of-54 for a .407 shooting percentage. In the final period, Denver only hit 6-of-24 field goals (24 percent) but sunk 12-of-17 from the line (70.6 percent).
It's a quick turnaround for the Pioneers, who open Sun Belt Conference play at home Saturday afternoon against Florida International at 2 p.m. in Hamilton Gym. The game is a doubleheader with the DU men who take on FIU immediately following the conclusion of the women's contest.
