MISSOULA, Mont. - The University of Denver women's basketball team was edged 58-56 by Montana on Sunday afternoon at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Mont. The Pioneers cut the deficit to two after trailing by 10 with 2:11 remaining, but were unable to complete the comeback. The loss drops DU to 4-6 on the season, while Montana moves to 6-3.

Junior Maiya Michel (Loma Linda, Calif.) tied a career-high with 12 points and set a career-high with 16 rebounds. She was followed by sophomore Jordan Johnston (Waterloo, Iowa), who finished with nine points. Senior Emiko Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) recorded eight points and a game-high six assists. 

Alyssa Smith and Katie Baker led the Lady Griz with 12 points apiece.

"Montana had a couple of very nice runs that were tough for us to overcome, but the fight was there in our team," said head coach Kerry Cremeans. "In the final two minutes we were down 10, and we had a chance to tie it and take the game into overtime. It's a matter of focusing on that fight within us. There were many things we did well tonight that will help us be successful in the future."

Sophomore Morgan Van Riper-Rose (Eden Prairie, Minn.) scored seven points, four of which came from the free-throw line, while freshman Kailey Edwards (Broomfield, Colo.) and sophomore Theresa Wirth (Mesa, Ariz.) scored five points each.

Kenzie De Boer and Kellie Cole scored 10 and eight points, respectively.

The Pioneers used a pair of 9-2 runs to take a 24-19 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the opening frame. Montana responded to recapture the advantage late in the frame, but Smith hit a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give DU a 30-28 edge heading in the intermission.

Michel led the Pioneers with 10 points and eight rebounds in the opening stanza. She was followed by Edwards, Johnston and Smith, who finished with five points apiece.

Baker and Cole led Montana with eight points each in the first frame.

The Lady Griz used a 9-2 run of their own to take a 43-37 lead seven minutes into the second half. The Pioneers cut the lead to two with 23 seconds left on a three from Smith, but Van Riper-Rose was unable to hit on a runner as time expired, and the Lady Griz held on for the two-point victory.

Denver will return to action Thursday when it heads north to take on in-state rival Colorado State at Moby Arena.

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

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