WBB at Weber State (15 DEC 14) - Audio Only

Box Score

OGDEN, Utah - The University of Denver women's basketball team couldn't come up with a basket on their final possession and lost a heartbreaker at Weber State on Monday afternoon. Weber State (5-5) outlasted Denver (2-8) 65-63.

Down 65-63, Denver had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final 7.4 seconds. Morgan Van Riper-Rose (Eden Prairie, Minn.) put up a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer that fell short.

Weber State's Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin's layup with 7.4 seconds remaining broke a 63-63 deadlock and gave the Wildcats the lead for good. With the game tied at 63, the Pioneers had possession when Paige Bradley (The Woodlands, Texas) had the ball knocked away by Regina Okoye. Bradley was injured on the play and the Wildcats, who then had a five-on-four advantage at the other end of the court, were able to convert with Shahid-Martin making the layup.

Bradley poured in a game-high 19 points, including 3-for-3 from behind the 3-point arc, to go along with seven assists and three rebounds. Van Riper-Rose continued to shoot the ball well for Denver. She finished with 16 points, on 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. Jordan Johnston (Waterloo, Iowa) was the third Pioneer to score in double figures with 10 points and grabbed four rebounds. Alecia Espinoza (Hacienda Heights, Calif.) chipped in eight points and collected a team-high seven rebounds. Jacqlyn Poss (Shoreview, Minn.) had eight points off the bench for Denver.

Denver took the lead from the opening possession as Van Riper-Rose nailed a 3-pointer just nine seconds into the game. The Pioneers torched the nets from beyond the 3-point line in the first half shooting 8-of-11. Van Riper-Rose and Bradley each knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in the first half, while Johnston netted a pair of 3-pointers in the first half, giving Denver a 41-28 halftime advantage.

Weber State went on a 11-0 run during a 3:04 stretch early on in the second half to cut the Pioneers lead to four. Denver went on their own 6-0 run to push the lead back to 10, but the Wildcats defensive pressure and physical play eventually would wear down the Pioneers in the second half. Weber State took their first lead of the game 63-62 when Jalen Carpenter put in a layup with 2:42 left on the clock.

The Pioneers held the rebounding advantage in the first half 20-13, but Weber State outrebounded Denver 26-9 in the second half.

For the game the Pioneers shot 42 percent (22-53) from the field, 60 percent (9-15) from 3-point range and 71 percent (10-14) from the free throw line. Weber State shot 40 percent (23-57) from the field, nine percent (1-11) from 3-point range and 86 percent (18-21) from the free throw line.

The Pioneers will be back in action this weekend when they travel to West Lafayette, Ind. for three games as part of the BTI Invitational. First up for the Pioneers will be Wright State on Friday at 12:30 p.m. MT.

Information on all DU Basketball ticketing options can be obtained by calling the Daniel L. Ritchie Center Box Office at (303) 871-2336, or by visiting the ticket page on DenverPioneers.com.

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