JONESBORO, Ark. Sophomore forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds to give the University of Denver men’s basketball team a 73-53 victory over Arkansas State at the Convocation Center on Saturday night.

 

The victory snaps a 43-game road losing streak by the Pioneers, the longest in the nation dating back to March 5, 2006, when DU topped Middle Tennessee in the Sun Belt Tournament. Arkansas State (13-14, 5-11 SBC) fell for the seventh straight time.

 

“It’s been a long time coming, but everyone in our program knew it was coming,” head coach Joe Scott said. “This team has grown up a lot and know what it’s all about. To win by 20 and not squeak it out shows just how much they’ve grown. Everybody played well. ”

 

The Pioneers (13-14, 8-8 SBC) also received 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists from junior guard Nate Rohnert (Parker, Colo.), as well as 18 points from freshman guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.).

 

Denver jumped out early, as Rob Lewis hit two shots to cap an 11-4 run by the Pioneers to open the game.

 

After ASU clawed back to within two, freshman guard Sabatino Chen (Louisville, Colo.) scored on a driving layup to cap a 10-1 run that gave DU a 28-17 advantage with 5:25 remaining in the first half.

 

Stafford drilled a pair of three-pointers to give the Pioneers a 15-point lead with 2:40 left and neither team scored again before the break, as Denver headed to halftime with a 36-21 lead.

 

DU shot 66.7 percent (16-of-24) from the field in the first half, including 80.0 percent (4-of-5) from three-point range, while holding ASU to 35.0 percent (7-of-20) from the field and 33.3 percent (1-of-3).

 

The Pioneers returned from the break on a 9-3 run to start the second half, as Rob Lewis and redshirt freshman Andrew Hooper (Lakewood, Colo.) both nailed three-pointers.

 

Denver extended the lead to as many as 21 points with 12:03 remaining in the contest, but Arkansas State fought back with a 11-2 run to cut the DU lead to 53-41 with 8:21 left in the game.

 

The Pioneers hit the road again, where they will face Louisiana-Monroe on Thurs., Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. MT.