JONESBORO, Ark. - The University of Denver women's basketball team (13-10, 5-5 SBC) fell 62-53 on the road at Arkansas State University (12-12, 5-6 SBC) on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro, Ark.

Junior Kaetlyn Murdoch (Temple, Texas) scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Pioneers, while freshman Quincey Noonan (Broomfield, Colo.) finished with 12 points, all from three-point range.

Senior Britteni Rice (Pampa, Texas) finished with eight points and grabbed six rebounds, while fellow senior Brianna Culberson (Jefferson City, Mo.) finished with four points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Emiko Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) led the way once again with seven assists, while Murdoch finished with two blocks.

"As poorly as we did shooting the ball in the first half, I'm very proud of the toughness and composure that our kids showed during halftime and in the second half," said head coach Erik Johnson. "At halftime we felt we were still in the game and our kids showed a great attitude. We played well in the second half, but the deficit was just too much to overcome."

The Pioneers struggled in the first half, shooting 12.5 percent from the field and only scoring 10 points, eight from Murdoch. However, Denver roared back in the second half, scoring 43 points and shooting 50 percent from the field.

For the game, Denver finished with a 33.9 shooting percentage from the floor and 68.8 percent from the line. ASU finished shooting 38.7 percent from the field and 64.7 percent from the line.

The Pioneers finished the day with 47 rebounds, their second-best rebounding performance of the season, compared to the Redwolves 36. 

Up next, the Pioneers return home to host Florida Atlantic University at Magness Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. MT. Fans can watch the game live on Pioneer Vision, on Live Stats and via the Pioneers' in-game blog on CoverItLive, all through www.DenverPioneers.com.

- PIONEERS -