DENVER - University of Denver senior guard Britteni Rice (Pampa, Texas) scored 18 points, reaching 1000 points in her career as a Pioneer, and junior forward Kaetlyn Murdoch (Temple, Texas) added 13 points to lead Denver to a 64-27 win over San Jose State University on Saturday afternoon at Magness Arena.

"I am really pleased with the effort we gave today," said head coach Erik Johnson. "We stayed focused throughout the game and while we still need to work on some defense and rebounding, I am proud of this win."

The win gave Denver (6-4) its third win in a row and its fifth in six outings. DU held San Jose State (0-9) to 23.8 percent (10-of-42) shooting and the Spartans matched their lowest point total of the season (27).

"It does not matter if you are up big or down big, you still have to stay focused and put together runs," Johnson added. "We put together some solid back-to-back possessions and never let go of this one."

Denver scored early with a jumper from senior forward Brianna Culberson (Jefferson City, Mo.) from the baseline and from that point on the Pioneers dominated. Back-to-back jumpers from Rice and sophomore guard Sarah Feeney (Bismarck, N.D.) put DU up 10-2 and Rice followed her three-pointer with two more before halftime.

The Pioneers led 31-6 with five minutes to play in the half and after starting 0-for-3 from beyond the arc, they finished 5-of-12 (41.7 percent) on three pointers in the first half. The Spartans shot 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from the field in the half and were agitated by a Pioneer defense that forced 13 turnovers before intermission and led 33-10 at halftime.

The Pioneers refused to let up in the second half. They shot 52.9 percent (9-of-17) from the field and forced nine more Spartan turnovers, while holding the Spartans to 23.8 percent shooting from the field after intermission.

DU finished 18-of-25 (72 percent) from the free throw line and shot 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from behind the arc. Sophomore guard Morgan Shell (Marble Falls, Texas) had season- and career-highs with eight points. Culberson led the Pioneers with seven rebounds and Rice added to her historic night by leading Denver with four assists.

Sara Plavljanin led the Spartans with eight points and Liz Johnson added five rebounds.

Denver will finish its four-game home stand by hosting in-state rival Northern Colorado Tues. Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. at Magness Arena. Fans can follow the game on Pioneer Vision, Live Stats and CoverItLive, all through www.DenverPioneers.com.

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