IRVINE, Calif. - Led by a career-tying 21 points from sophomore Morgan Van Riper-Rose (Eden Prairie, Minn.) the University of Denver women's basketball team (1-3) got its first win of the season and first for head coach Kerry Cremeans on Wednesday night from the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., as the Pioneers defeated UC Irvine (0-4) 62-52.

"I couldn't be more proud of this team right now because they played a tough defensive team in UC Irvine and found a way to win," Cremeans said. "The whole team had great energy from the start and it carried us throughout the game."

Senior Emiko Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) finished with a season-high 12 points and dished out five assists, while junior Maiya Michel (Loma Linda, Calif.) finished with nine rebounds, three points and one block.

Sophomore Jordan Johnston (Waterloo, Iowa) finished with seven points and four rebounds, while freshman Michaela Neuhaus (Lone Tree, Colo.) chipped in five points, two assists and two rebounds.

Denver shot 42.6 percent from the field to UC Irvine's 34.0.

Van Riper-Rose led the Pioneers in the first half with 10 points, while Smith had seven points and four assists. Michel led the way off the glass with six rebounds, while also registering one block.

After the Anteaters jumped out to an early 8-2 lead to start the game, the Pioneers strung together a 13-6 run to jump ahead 15-14 with 12:22 left. Denver held on to its advantage throughout the rest of the first half, even extending it by as much as 14 with 3:20 remaining.

UC Irvine began chipping away at the Pioneers' lead in the final minutes of the half, scoring the final seven points, however Denver was able to take a 34-27 advantage into the break.

The Anteaters pulled to within four points to open the second half, but a big three by Van Riper-Rose gave the Pioneers a seven-point cushion. UC Irvine was able to pull within three points at the 10:35 mark, but lay-ups by Neuhaus and freshman Paige Bradley (The Woodlands, Texas) once again gave Denver some room to breath. The Pioneers closed out the game on a 12-10 run to secure their first win of the season.

Up next, Denver returns home to host Northern Colorado on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. MT in Magness Arena. The game will be live on Pioneer Vision and will also be available via Live Stats all at DenverPioneers.com.

Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of DU's NCAA Division I sports.

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