Nov. 14, 2006

Box Score

DENVER - Despite a career-high 27 points from senior guard DaShawn Walker (Chicago, Ill.), the University of Denver men's basketball team dropped its home opener Monday night to Southern Utah, 74-68 in Magness Arena. The Pioneers fall to 0-2 to begin the season and Southern Utah improved to 2-0.

Southern Utah recorded its second consecutive game with better than 50 percent shooting from the field as the Thunderbirds were 26-of-51 from the field (51 percent). Three SUU players finished with double digits in scoring and Nurudeen Adepoju led the Thunderbirds with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor.

Denver had its biggest lead early in the contest, as Steve Wetrich (Ottumwa, Iowa) nailed his lone 3-pointer that gave DU a 16-10 at the 14:34 mark of the first half. Southern Utah immediately followed that with an 11-point run of their own, taking a 21-16 lead with just under 10 minutes left in the first half, a lead it would never relinquish. The two teams traded baskets for much of the remainder of the half as SUU took a 31-27 lead into the locker rooms.

Southern Utah led by as many as 15 points in the second half before DU made a run near the end, cutting the lead to five with 1:36 left. An intentional foul on DU's Antonio Porch (Denver, Colo.) with 1:06 remaining killed the Pioneer momentum and gave it back to Southern Utah as the Thunderbirds were able to ice the game at the free throw line.

Walker's previous career-high in points was 26 against Montana State last season. He finished the game 8-of-15 from the field and was 4-of-7 from behind the 3-point line. Porch chipped in nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds and Wetrich also had nine for the Pioneers, who dropped their first home season-opener under Terry Carroll.

DU is next in action on Friday night when it hosts Sacramento State at 7 p.m. in Hamilton Gymnasium.