DENVER Five Pioneers reached double digits in the scoring column, as the University of Denver opened the Sun Belt Conference schedule by beating defending SBC champion North Texas 63-59 at Magness Arena on Saturday.

 

“It’s one thing to tell your team they’re getting better. It’s another to have tangible proof,” head coach Joe Scott said. “We just beat a team that played in the NCAA Tournament, and that is a big confidence boost for us.”

 

Senior center Adam Tanner (Melbourne, Australia) opened the scoring with a three-pointer and Denver never relinquished the lead.

 

Denver (4-6, 1-0 SBC) led the entire first half. North Texas cut the lead to one point with 6:47 remaining in the half, but the Pioneers went on a nine-point run and heading to the locker room with a 27-20 lead.

 

The Pioneers opened the second half with a Tanner bucket and a three-pointer by junior guard Joe Jackson (New Orleans, La.), as DU stretched the lead to as many as 13 points by shooting 71.4 percent (10-for-14) after the break.

 

North Texas (8-3, 0-1 SBC) clawed its way back, getting as close as four point, but Denver buried 10-straight free throws in the final with less than two minutes remaining to seal the victory.

 

Senior forward David Kummer (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) led the Pioneers with 14 points and six rebounds. Sophomore forward Nate Rohnert (Parker, Colo.) had 13 points, while Tanner and Jackson added 12 points each, and freshman forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) contributed 10 points.

 

North Texas was led by Collin Dennis, who had 14 points.  

 

Denver hit 21-of-35 (60.0 percent) from the field and 6-of-15 (40.0 percent) from three-point range. The Mean Green, which had shot a combined 56.8 percent in the past three games, shot just 36.5 percent overall and 26.7 percent from three-point range.

 

The Pioneers next travel to Santa Clara, Calif., for the Cable Car Classic. Denver faces host Santa Clara on Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. MT before taking on either Niagara or Morgan State on Dec. 29. Both games can be heard on Pioneer Vision at www.DenverPioneers.com or Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510.