Nov. 18, 2006

Box Score

DENVER - The University of Denver women's basketball team opened their 2006-07 regular season by outscoring Lamar, 97-43, Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Gymnasium. The 54-point difference was the largest margin of victory against a Division I opponent for the Pioneers in the program's history. DU starts the season 1-0, while Lamar falls to 1-2.

"I'm surprised by the margin of victory," head coach Pam Tanner said, as she won her sixth opening game in 12 seasons. "Lamar is a good team and we came out and played with good intensity on both sides of the ball."

Junior Sara Benham (Muleshoe, Texas) recorded a game-high 18 points, as one of four Pioneers in double-digits. Freshman Ashly Robinson (Bloomington, Mich.) recorded 13 points and led the team with five rebounds. Junior Brooke Meyer (Denver, Colo.) went 3-of-6 from behind the arc as part of her 13 points. Tyesha Lowery (Arlington, Texas) recorded 15 points, including a perfect 8-of-8 at the line and five steals. The Pioneers recorded 18 steals in the game, the highest total since 16 against Gonzaga, Dec. 21, 2005.

"We got positive contributions from every player on our team," said Tanner. "Our depth was our strength today. The fact we were able to run players in and out of the game and maintain the intensity was related to our depth."

Benham led the Pioneers' charge in the second half, ripping off six of DU's first eight points. Meyer drained two three-pointers from the corner as part a 15-7 run. Denver shot 72.7 percent for the half.

The Pioneers got off to a fast start in the first half, getting out to a 6-0 lead. Lowery posted 11 points and three steals in the half. Denver closed out the first half on a 9-0 run and led 48-20. Lowery was a perfect 6-of-6 from the line in the opening half of play. Meyer and Robinson led the Pioneers on the boards in the first half with four rebounds.

"Our defensive pressure helped our offense become aggressive early," Tanner commented.

The Lady Cardinal's were led by Britteny Williams with 12 points. The Pioneers are 2-0 all-time against Lamar.

DU returns to action Friday, Nov. 24 at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii against Arkansas at 6:30 p.m.