MIAMI, Fla. - University of Denver men's basketball freshman guard Brett Olson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) scored a team-high 19 points, as the Pioneers prevailed 77-63 over Florida International at U.S. Century Bank Arena on Saturday night.

"We were ready to play, which showed our players' resolve and resiliency coming off Thursday," head coach Joe Scott said. "We played well to build the lead, and we played well to close it out. This was a very big win for us."

Sophomore forward Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) had 17 points, seven assists and a pair of blocks for the Pioneers (18-8, 8-5 SBC). Senior guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) added 13 points, while freshman forward Royce O'Neale (Killeen, Texas) and junior guard Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) both collected nine points and eight rebounds.

Denver dominated the first half, hitting 50.0 percent (13-of-26) from the field and 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from three-point range, while holding FIU to just 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from the field and 0-for-3 from three-point range.

The Panthers (7-17,  4-8 SBC) took an early 3-2 lead in the first minute, but the Pioneers rattled off a 26-3 run over the next 14 minutes to break the game open.

Florida International cut into DU's commanding lead by using a five-guard lineup. FIU outscored Denver 41-20 over the first 15 minutes of the second half.

However, the Pioneers went on a 19-8 run in the final 5:04 minutes of the game, as Denver finished at 53.3 percent (24-of-45) from the field and 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from three-point range.

FIU shot 39.6 percent (21-of-52) from the field and 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from beyond the arc. Jeremy Allen led the Panthers with 29 points.

The Pioneers return home for their final three regular season games, beginning with Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday at 5 p.m. MT. The game will air live on ROOT SPORTS, and can be heard on Pioneer Vision, Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510 or FM 93.7, and followed via a live blog available at DenverPioneers.com.

Notes: Sophomore Chris Udofia blocked two shots, giving him 101 in his career, fifth on DU's all-time list...the Pioneers are 9-1 this season when hitting 10 or more three-pointers, including tonight as DU hit 11 three-pointers...Denver is 9-0 when shooting between 48 and 59 percent...the Pioneers finished 7-6 overall on the road this season and 4-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. The four road wins in the SBC ties DU's record, matching the total of when the Pioneers went 4-3 in 2004-05...this game marks Denver's final road game as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.