TROY, Ala. Sophomore Britteni Rice (Pampa, Texas) led the University of Denver women’s basketball team (12-9, 7-3 SBC) with 15 points, as the Pioneers defeated the Troy Trojans (9-12, 4-7 SBC) on the road on Saturday afternoon in Trojan Arena. This is Rice’s second consecutive game leading the Pioneers in scoring.

 

Rice finished the game shooting 4-of-6 from the field and a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe, while also grabbing four rebounds, one block and one steal. Along with Rice’s contributions, two other Pioneers finished in double figures as junior Ashly Robinson (Bloomington, Minn.) and senior Andie Masion (Gilbert, Ariz.) both added 14 and 11 points, respectively.

 

Robinson finished the night with a perfect 8-of-8 showing at the line, while also grabbing six boards, three assists and two steals. Leading the way off the glass was senior Sara Bents (Billings, Mont.) with seven rebounds. Freshman Kaetlyn Murdoch (Temple, Texas) continues to be a presence in the paint as she notched three blocks, six rebounds and eight points.

 

For the game, Denver finished shooting 88.0 percent from the line on 22-of-25, while also shooting 44.2 percent (19-of-43) from the field. The Pioneers held the advantage in rebounds (35-30) and blocks (6-1), while the Trojans held the edge in assists (11-9).

 

With the score tied 11 all with 7:16 remaining in the first half, the Trojans went on a 12-2 run that spanned over three minutes to take an 11-point lead with 3:49 left to play. Feeling a sense of urgency, the Pioneers exploded on a 10-2 run of their own, sparked by a Robinson jumper. With just seconds remaining on the clock, however, the Trojans snapped a three-minute scoring draught as Larelle Roper drained back-to-back free-throws to give Troy a 28-23 lead heading into the break.

 

Denver returned an energized team in the second half, battling back to tie the game 39-39 with 12:53 remaining on a jumper by Rice. After a made free throw to give the Trojans a one-point advantage, Rice drained her only three of the game to put the Pioneers back on top 42-40 with 11:20 remaining.

 

Despite allowing the Trojans to tie the score two more times, the Pioneers maintained the momentum throughout the rest of the half, ending the game with a 10-point margin. Denver shot a steady 59.1 percent from the field in the second half and capitalized off their consistent 85.7 percent from the line down the stretch.

 

The Pioneers return home for a mid-week game as they host league-leading Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. (MT) in Magness Arena. Fans can catch the action live via Pioneer Vision as Mitch Hyder will call all the excitement on the hardwood. Live stats will also be available.

 

- PIONEERS -