Denver Outlasts Omaha, 73-66

Box Score

DENVER – Led by a double-double from sophomore Paige Bradley (The Woodlands, Texas), the University of Denver women’s basketball team outlasted the Omaha Mavericks 73-66 at Magness Arena on Thursday evening in a Summit League conference battle. The win is the fourth for the Pioneers on the season, bringing them to 4-15 (2-2) while Omaha drops to 9-9, (1-3).

Bradley recorded her first double-double as a Pioneer, posting 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. The Texas native added four assists and two steals in the victory. Junior Theresa Wirth (Mesa, Ariz.) played 35 minutes and recorded 12 points, eight rebounds and had three assists.

“This was a great defensive team effort,” said head coach Kerry Cremeans. “That was our biggest focus going into this game; having the right rotations and schemes. We made adjustments at halftime and the team really responded. We defended well and to have our point guard have 11 rebounds is pretty awesome. Just really proud and happy with the way we performed all around.”

The Pioneers captured their largest lead of the game 65-56, with under five minutes to play. After a late push by Omaha that included a 10-5 run that trimmed the lead to four with 29.4 seconds remaining, Bradley converted on two free throws to seal the victory.

Providing a spark off the bench, freshman Alecia Espinoza (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) tied her career high with 10 points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes, while junior Jordan Johnston (Waterloo, Iowa) finished with 13 points in 16 minutes of action. Senior Alison Janecek (Omaha, Neb.) scored seven points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

“Our bench was ready to play tonight, they really produced some big defensive stops, recovered some big rebounds, and scored points for us,” said Cremeans.

The Mavericks’ Ericka House led all scorers with 26 points, on 9-of-21 shooting and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Taijhe Kelly tallied 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Mikaela Shaw added 11 points and had four steals. Omaha scored 30 of its 66 points within the paint, while the bench chipped in 12.

Denver shot 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the floor, 73.1 percent (19-of-26) from the free-throw line, and made all eight of its three pointers in the first half alone (8-of-21). Omaha shot 40.3 percent (25-of-62) from the floor and was held to 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from beyond the three-point line in the second half.

The Pioneers led by as many as seven in the first half behind eight three-pointers (53.3 percent).  Bradley led the way with 10 points, nine of which came from beyond three, while Johnston added two of her own. Junior Morgan Van Riper-Rose (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Espinoza both had six points to send the Pioneers into the half with a 41-37 lead.

Denver will continue its conference schedule on Sunday, Jan. 26 against Western Illinois at 1 p.m. MT, before departing on a three-game road trip that begins with North Dakota on Thursday.

Denver Team Notes.

·  Bradley becomes the fifth Pioneer to record a double-double this season, as she finished with 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

·  Bradley has recorded three or more assists in 18-of-19 games this season. She has also scored in double figures in 13 games this season and has grabbed at least one rebound in every game.

·  Edwards has started in 33 straight games dating back to last season.

·  Espinoza tied her career-high with 10 points and has recorded two double-digit rebound games this season.

·  Wirth has recorded two or more points in the last 25 games dating back to last season. She has also grabbed at least one rebound in 33 straight games dating back to last season.

·  Wirth has finished in double figures in five consecutive games, and in 10 games total this season.

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