BOCA RATON, Fla. The University of Denver women’s basketball team (12-12, 7-6 SBC) fell 66-58 to the Florida Atlantic Owls (10-14, 7-7 SBC) on the road on Wednesday evening in FAU Arena in Boca Raton, Fla.

 

Sophomore Britteni Rice (Pampa, Texas) led the Pioneers with 13 points, while senior Andie Mason (Gilbert, Ariz.), junior Ashly Robinson (Bloomington, Minn.) and freshman Kaetlyn Murdoch (Temple, Texas) all added 11 points apiece. Robinson also finished just one rebound shy of posting her first double-double of the season as she finished with nine.

 

Collectively, the Pioneers shot 40.4 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent from the line. Denver held the advantage in the rebounding category 31 to 26 and were held without a block for the first time this season.

 

Held to just nine points earlier this season, guard Brittany Bowe finished with a game-high 17 points, while Jessica Knurick and Carla Stubbs added 15 and 11 points apiece, respectively. Nine of Bowe’s 17 points came in the first half alone.

 

As a team, the Owls finished the game shooting 53.1 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from long-distance, while shooting a consistent 75.0 percent from the line.

 

In the first half, the Pioneers held the rebounding advantage 16 to 10 over the Owls and shot 36.0 percent from the field. Rice led Denver with 10 points in the opening 20 as she went 4-of-6 from field and 2-of-4 from downtown.

 

Bowe led the Owls with six points in just 13 minutes of action as she was a perfect 2-of-2 from the line and 2-of-4 from the field. Also contributing for the Owls in the first half was Knurick with nine points on a 4-of-7 performance from the field. As a team, the Owls shot 56.0 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from long distance.

 

After scoring their first 10 points in the opening five minutes, the Pioneers were held to just a bucket for the following five as the Owls went on an 11-2 run to take a 21-12 lead with 10:58 remaining. After Robinson added a bucket to cut the lead to seven, the Owls strung together an 11-5 run to take their largest lead of the game with a 13-point advantage, 32-19. Both teams exchanged baskets as the time ticked down as Rice drained her second three of the game, while Breana Turner added a lay-up. The Owls headed into the locker room with a 34-22 advantage.

 

In the second half, Denver was able to cut the deficit to four twice, but were unable to regain the lead as the Owls shot 50.0 percent from the field in the closing period. Denver relied on the inside play of Murdoch and Robinson in the second half as they finished with 11 and nine points, respectively. The Pioneers were also more secure with the ball in the second half as they only turned the ball over five times, compared to 13 times in the first half.

 

The Pioneers return home to host New Orleans on Saturday, Feb. 14 with a 1 p.m. tip-off in Magness Arena. Denver is hosting its Think Pink event during their game with the Privateers, the first of its kind under first-year head coach Erik Johnson. Fans who attend the women’s game and wear pink will receive a $5 ticket to the game. Proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Kay Yow WBCA Cancer fund.

 

- PIONEERS -