DENVER - University of Denver men's basketball junior guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) dropped 18 points, and sophomore guard Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) and freshman forward Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) added 15 and 13, respectively, as the Pioneers defeated Cal State Northridge 66-63 during a late afternoon affair at Magness Arena on Saturday.

"Our guys made the big plays when we needed them to," head coach Joe Scott said. "It is a credit to them because they battled through the fouls and did not turn the ball over in pressure situations."

Free throws were the difference in the game as Denver finished 29-of-45 (64.4 percent) from the line, including 24-of-38 in the second half, compared to the Matador's 23-of-38 (60.5 percent).

The Pioneers (2-6) struggled through the first half and trailed 27-24 at intermission after shooting 34.8 percent (8-of-23) and finishing the last eight minutes of the half without a field goal. However, DU was able to keep it close by shooting 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from the charity stripe, including 4-of-4 during the drought. The Matadors (2-6) shot just 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from the line and committed nine turnovers in the half.

Denver improved in the second half, retaking the lead 29-28 two minutes in after a Stafford three-pointer. Denver entered the bonus with 15 minutes to play in the game and was able to maintain the lead thereafter by going 24-of-38 (63.2 percent) from the line after intermission and forcing 12 additional Matador turnovers.

The game remained tight until the final buzzer as junior guard Travis Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) made the front end of two free throws with seven seconds remaining, and the second fell into the hands of redshirt sophomore center Trevor Noonan (Broomfield, Colo.), who went to the line and made 1-of-2 to seal the three-point win for Denver.

The Matadors had 21 turnovers and 34 fouls, while the Pioneers committed 15 turnovers and 28 fouls. Denver's bench contributed 21 points, compared to CSUN's 13. DU shot 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from beyond the arc, just under its 41.5 percent season average entering the game.

The Matadors were led by Lenny Daniel with 18 points and eight rebounds. Raymond Cody and Dathan Lyles added 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The Pioneers' next game takes them to Moraga, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 8 for a match-up against the West Coast Conference's St. Mary's, which is ranked No. 3 in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. Coverage of the game begins at 8 p.m. MT and can be found on Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510 and FM 93.7, as well as www.DenverPioneers.com.