DENVER Freshman forward Kaetlyn Murdoch (Temple, Texas) had 15 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double in three games, but the University of Denver women’s basketball team fell to Montana 68-63 in Hamilton Gymnasium on Wednesday afternoon.

                  

“I’m disappointed because we had them on the ropes, but when it came down to it, Montana’s experience came through and they were able to make some big shots and pull down some rebounds,” said head coach Erik Johnson.

                            

Junior forward Ashly Robinson (Bloomington, Minn.) nearly missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Andie Mason (Gilbert, Ariz.) added 12 points for the Pioneers.

 

Montana’s Sonya Rogers led all scorers with 24 points, including 16 in the second half, while Sarah Ena contributed 13 points and nine rebounds in the game.

 

Denver (5-4) got on the board first with a three-point play by senior guard Celena Otero (Aurora, Colo.) to open the game before the Grizzlies tied it with a three-pointer.

 

After Robinson scored a quick five points, Montana (7-2) went on a 6-0 run.

 

Murdoch responded with eight points over the next four minutes, bringing Denver’s lead to 17-13 with 12:35 left in the half.

 

Montana reclaimed the lead with a 7-2 run, but the Pioneers ended the half on a 19-10 run, including a buzzer beater by freshman guard Jenny Vaughan (Dundas, Ontario), that left Denver with a 38-30 lead heading into the break.

 

Murdoch led the Pioneers with 11 points in the first half, while Robinson pulled down seven rebounds. The Grizzlies were led by Rogers’ eight points and Jessa Linford’s five rebounds in the opening stanza.

 

The Grizzlies opened the second half on an 8-2 run that cut DU’s lead to two.

 

Denver responded with a 13-2 run, sparked by sophomore guard Britteni Rice (Pampa, Texas) scoring on a three-point play and drilled a shot from beyond the arc, to give the Pioneers a 53-40 lead with 12:38 remaining in the game.

 

Montana chipped away at the lead, finally tying it at 55-55 with 6:32 to play after a 15-2 run.

 

The teams traded three-point plays before Murdoch followed a miss with a layup that put Denver up 60-58.

 

After a pair of Montana free throws tied the game, a three-point play by Sarah Ena gave the Grizzlies a 63-60 advantage with 43 seconds remaining, their first lead since the 4:30 mark in the first half. Birtney Lohman, Lauren Beck and Sonya Rogers sealed the win with free throws down the stretch.

 

The Pioneers now enjoy nine days off before taking on Northern Arizona in Flagstaff on Dec. 28 at 2 p.m.

 

- PIONEERS -