DENVER - The University of Denver women's basketball team (13-6, 8-1 SBC) narrowly edged the South Alabama Jaguars (12-8, 7-2 SBC) 71-68 at home on Saturday afternoon in Magness Arena. The victory improves Denver's conference record to 8-1 and keeps them in the top spot in the SBC West Division.

Sophomore Kaetlyn Murdoch (Temple, Texas) scored a career-high 25 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked five shots to lead Denver. Junior Brianna Culberson (Jefferson City, Mo.) also had a career-high 23 points on the afternoon, and freshman Emiko Smith (Los Angelese, Calif.) dished out a career-high tying 10 assists.  Both Murdoch and Culberson combined to provide 68 percent of the Pioneers offense.

"We had great performances from Kaetlyn and Brianna today," said head coach Erik Johnson. "We were able to take high-percentage shots and score from the post. This is a great win for us as we head into another tough road stretch through Arkansas this coming week."

While the Jaguars held the advantage in perimeter shooting, the Pioneers dominated inside the paint scoring 34 points to South Alabama's eight.

The Pioneers used accuracy to their advantage in the first half, shooting 63 percent from the field.  Murdoch put up 14 of her 25 points in the opening half to carry Denver to a 38-33 advantage entering the break.

The Jaguars battled back in the second half however, and used defensive pressure to force ten turnovers in the final 20 minutes.  South Alabama led by seven points with 11:51 remaining, but the Pioneers were able to muscle a comeback as junior Britteni Rice (Pampa, Texas) sank crucial free throws down the stretch to and claim the victory.

Up next, the Pioneers hit the road for a two-game conference matchup in Arkansas. Denver begins with a mid-week game against the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m., and then concludes the road trip against the Arkansas State Redwolves on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 2:05 p.m. Fans can follow the action via Pioneer Vision and Live Stats at www.DenverPioneers.com.

Pioneer Notes:

• Finishing with 25 points, Murdoch set a new career high, surpassing her previous mark of 23 points that she set against CU on Dec. 2, 2009. This is Murdoch's third game this season that she has scored 20+ points.
• With her 23 points, Culberson set a new career-high, eclipsing her previous mark of 17 that she set against Western Kentucky on Jan. 10, 2010.
• With her 12 points for the game, Rice has now scored in double figures in 14 consecutive games for the Pioneers.
• Murdoch extended her streak of consecutive games with one or more blocks to 26 games as she finished the day with five. For her career, Murdoch now has 131 blocks, ranking her fourth all-time in the DU record books.
• Culberson's 23 points extends her consecutive games with double figures to 19. Culberson has finished in double figures in each of the Pioneers' game this season.
• With her 25 points and 12 rebounds, Murdoch secured her fifth double-double of the season, 13th of her career, third consecutive.
• Smith's 10 assists, matches her career-high that she set against New Orleans on Jan. 6, 2010. This is the 13th time this season that she has led the Pioneers in assists.
• Denver held the advantage in rebounds (34 to 23) and blocks (7 to 4).

 

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