OMAHA, Neb.- In his first career start, University of Denver sophomore guard Bryant Rucker (Frisco, Texas) shattered his career high with 19 points, leading the Pioneers to a 74-60 victory at Ralston Arena on Thursday.

Rucker, who had never scored more than 11 points in a game, hit 7-of-9 of his shots, including 4-of-5 from three-point range for the Pioneers (9-10, 2-2 Summit League).

Redshirt sophomore Marcus Byrd (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) had 16 points, going 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range. Junior point guard Brett Olson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) tallied 15 points, five assists and three steals, and junior Cam Griffin (San Antonio, Texas) registered 13 points off 6-of-8 shooting. Rucker, Olson and Griffin each had five rebounds.

“We’ve seen signs of our ability to play extremely well at different times throughout the season, and tonight we showed that for a second-consecutive game,” said head coach Joe Scott, who earned his 200th career win as a head coach. “We’ve been stressing consistency, and if we can get consistency to be a staple, we will keep getting better. We did it tonight on the road against a good team that was undefeated at home. I’m really proud of our guys for their effort tonight.”

The Pioneers shot 62.5 percent (30-of-48) from the field and 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from three-point range in the game, while Omaha hit 47.9 percent (23-of-48) of its shots and 26.7 percent (4-of-15) of its three-point attempts.

UNO (11-8, 1-3 Summit League) pulled to within seven points with 12:16 to play before DU went on a 14-1 run to put the game out of reach.

The Pioneers were on fire early, shooting 72.0 percent (18-of-25) from the floor in the first half, including a 6-of-10 effort from three-point range, while UNO shot 50.0 percent (12-of-24) from the field and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Denver concludes its road trip at Western Illinois on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT. The games will air live Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510 and 93.7 FM, and they will be webcast on Pioneer Vision. 

Individual home game tickets for men's basketball are on sale now with prices starting at $9 for adults. Single-game tickets can be purchased in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office, by phone at 303-871-2336 or online at DenverPioneers.com/tickets. DU students are admitted to all Denver men's basketball games FREE with their Pioneer Card.

DU continues its commitment to provide the community with the most affordable and exciting entertainment in the Denver metro area.

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

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