Box Score DENVER - University of Denver men's basketball freshmen guard Jalen Love (Wichita, Kan.) scored 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting, leading the Pioneers to a 74-58 rout of Idaho at Magness Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Denver (15-8, 11-2 WAC) has now won four-straight, 11-of-the-last-12 and 14-of-the-last-17 games, as well as their ninth-straight at Magness Arena.
Junior Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) added 13 points, four assists, four steals and three blocks, while senior Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) contributed seven points, five assists and four steals in the win. Sophomore Royce O'Neale (Killeen, Texas) had 12 points and a team-high six rebounds, and Brett Olson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) scored 11 points and dished out five assists.
"Our defense was good. Our guys were ready to play from the start," said head coach Joe Scott. "On Thursday, we were sluggish, but tonight our guys were firing on all cylinders. Our offense executed very well in the half court. We need to keep doing what we're doing."
The Pioneers, who scored 22 points off turnovers, shot 56.9 percent (29-of-51) from the field, 39.1 percent (9-of-23) and 70.0 percent (7-of-10) from the free throw line. The Vandals (9-14, 5-8 WAC) shot 23-of-48 (47.9 percent) from the floor.
DU jumped out to a 24-8 lead with 6:40 left in the first half. The Pioneers' run was led by Love, who opened the game by outscoring Idaho 10-2 in the first 4:20. O'Neale and Olson nailed back-to-back three pointers put the Pioneers up by 24 with 2:25 remaining in the half.
Once again, the Pioneers' defense dominated, making 10 of their 14 steals before the break and holding the Vandals to just 14 points, the lowest halftime total by a DU opponent this season. Denver headed into the locker room with a comfortable 36-14 lead. Love led all first half players with 13, scoring his career high 13th point just 6:11 into the game. DU shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field while holding Idaho to 42.9 percent (6-of-14).
The Vandals opened the second half on a short-lived 9-5 run before Denver responded with a 12-0 run of their own. The Pioneers stretched the lead to as many as 30 points. Idaho cut the lead, finishing the game on a 21-11 run. Idaho's Mike McChristian and Stephen Madison both scored 14 points.
Denver forced 16 turnovers and outscored the Vandals 22-10 in points off of turnovers.
The Pioneers will return to the road next week where they will face Utah State on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. MT, and San Jose State on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. MT.
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