DENVER - Senior forward Kaetlyn Murdoch (Temple, Texas) scored a game-high 20 points, while junior point guard Emiko Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) added 11 points and seven assists, as the University of Denver held off Louisiana-Monroe 57-53 at Magness Arena Saturday.

"I thought we did a really good job of hitting the offensive glass and limiting their guards," said head coach Erik Johnson. "We kept the ball out of the hands of their all conference forward and despite not playing the greatest offensive game, scored enough points to win against a quality Louisiana-Monroe team."

After conceding the first basket, the Pioneers took the lead at the 18:05 mark and held it for the rest of the game. Denver forced 16 turnovers, scoring 21 points off of the ULM miscues. The Warhawks were held to 29.8 percent (17-for-57) shooting from the field and hit one three-point basket (1-for-13) the entire game. The victory puts the Pioneers at 18-11, 10-5 in the SBC headed into the final weekend of the regular season. The loss drops ULM to 9-18, 7-7 SBC.

Smith came two steals short of tying her career-high and also grabbed four rebounds. Murdoch added seven blocks and five rebounds, while shooting 8-for-13 (61.5 percent) from the field.

 

 

A hotly contested first half began with both teams trading baskets for the first 10 minutes of action. Murdoch's turn-around jumper at the 9:08 mark extended the Denver lead to 15-10, but ULM's Larrie Williams converted a three-point play to cut the lead to two with just under eight minutes before the half.

Both teams endured a near two-minute scoring drought before freshman guard Morgan Van Riper-Rose (Eden Prairie, Minn.) hit a three-point basket, extending the Pioneers' lead to 18-13 with 6:50 left in the first half. Van Riper-Rose's basket began a 16-6 run heading into the half. The Pioneers allowed one field goal in the final 8:42, as Elexar Tugler ended the Warhawks' drought with a lay-up at the buzzer. Led by 12 points from Murdoch, Denver took a 31-20 lead into the intermission.

The Warhawks began the second half on an 8-2 run, scoring two straight field goals in a 43 second span after being held without a field goal for nearly nine minutes prior to the intermission. A three-pointer from ULM's Elizabeth Torres at the 15:41 mark cut Crimson and Gold's lead to three, 34-31.

Murdoch began another 8-2 run for the Pioneers, hitting two straight baskets, the first coming at the 7:25 mark. A pair of free throws by Smith extended the Crimson and Gold's lead to 51-38 with just over six minutes remaining in the game. But seven straight made free throws and a basket by Marion Zollicoffer cut the Denver lead to 51-48 with 3:12 to play in regulation. The Pioneers countered with two straight baskets from Murdoch and Smith, respectively, and despite a furious rally from the Warhawks, Denver escaped with the four-point victory.

Denver will conclude its regular season at home against North Texas on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 3:30 p.m. MT. The Pioneers will celebrate senior night during Sunday's contest; commemorating the senior's final regular season game in front of their home crowd. Fans can catch the game live on Pioneer Vision, with Mitch Hyder providing the play-by-play. Live Stats and a live blog (CoverItLive) will also be available via DenverPioneers.com.

Visit DenverPioneers.com for the most comprehensive coverage of Denver women's basketball, as well as all of DU's 17 athletic programs.

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