MOSCOW, Idaho - The University of Denver women's basketball team dropped its second straight road contest Saturday, as the Pioneers fell to Idaho 70-64 at Cowan Spectrum in Moscow, Idaho. The loss drops Denver to 11-13 on the season, 6-7 in Western Athletic Conference play. Idaho moves to 12-12 overall, 9-4 in conference.

The Pioneers shot 25.0 percent (9-for-36) from the field in the second half, compared to 45.2 percent (14-for-31) for the Vandals.

Freshman Kailey Edwards (Broomfield, Colo.) set a new career-high with 21 points.  Junior Maiya Michel (Loma Linda, Calif.) tallied 16 rebounds to go along with seven points, while senior Emiko Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) recorded 14 points.

Alyssa Charlston led Idaho with 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting, while Christina Salvatore added 16.

"Our team battled until the very end, but we had a couple lapses in the second half that Idaho was able to capitalize on," said head coach Kerry Cremeans. "The Vandals nailed shots, and you have to give them credit for that. I love the fight and the heart in this Denver team, but we just need to have it for 40 minutes, and when we are able to do that we will be very successful."

Junior Desiree Hunter (Cypress, Calif.) recorded eight points and seven rebounds for the Pioneers, while Connie Ballestero tallied nine assists for the Vandals.

Edwards recorded seven points in the first seven minutes, as Denver jumped up to an early 14-9 lead. The Vandals responded by tying the game at 14, but 11 unanswered points allowed the Pioneers to regain the advantage at 25-14 with seven minutes left in the opening frame. Idaho bounced back again, however, tallying 12 straight points to take a 26-25 lead, before the Pioneers carried a 31-30 edge into the intermission.

Edwards led the Pioneers with 15 points in the opening frame on 6-for-10 shooting. The Pioneers shot 41.4 percent (12-for-29) in the first stanza, compared to 29.0 percent (9-for-31) for Idaho.

For the second straight game the Pioneers struggled to find the basket early in the closing frame. Denver failed to hit on its first nine field goal attempts, allowing the Vandals to ride a 16-0 run to a 46-33 lead six minutes into the second half. Denver cut the lead to seven, midway through the closing frame, but was unable to overcome the deficit as the Vandals took the six-point win.

The Pioneers will open their final homestand of the season Thursday when they take on Utah State. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.

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

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