Denver Secures 71-66 Victory Against Fort Wayne

DENVER – Double-double performances by forwards Alison Janecek (Omaha, Neb.) and Theresa Wirth (Mesa, Ariz.) lead the Pioneers to a 71-66 win against Fort Wayne at Magness Arena on Saturday. The win brings the Pioneers to 6-19 on the season and 4-6 in The Summit League.

This marks Janecek’s second double-double of the season, as she led the team with 15 rebounds and posted a new career high with 21 points (9-of-12). Wirth recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. She also matched a career high with three assists.

After a close match-up in January, the series is now 1-1 between the teams. The Pioneers shot 42.6 percent from the field, normally averaging 41.7 on the season.

“It was a great defensive effort,” said head coach Kerry Cremeans. “They have tough guards and we had to make good rotations and when we did it led to some charges. Offensively we needed to continue to work the ball inside and get looks, and I felt we were effective when we did.”

Sophomore Kailey Edwards (Broomfield, Colo.) scored 20 points (5-of-9) with nine of her points coming from free throws. Sophomore Paige Bradley (The Woodlands, Texas) matched a career high with eight assists to accompany six points and five rebounds.

The Mastodons were led by Haley Seibert and Amanda Hyde, who are ranked first and third in The Summit League in points per game. Seibert scored 20 points, shooting  6-of-9 from the field to accompany three steals and five assists. Hyde recorded 18 points and four rebounds. Fort Wayne ranks fourth in The Summit League (5-6) and holds an overall record of 12-13.

The Pioneers led by as much as seven points in the first half with the Mastodons rallying to tie the score at 32 going into halftime. Janecek finished the half with 10-of-her-15 rebounds, while Bradley recorded five of her seven assists.

The lead changed 12 times throughout the game and the score was tied nine times. In the second half, the Pioneers struggled to close the Mastodon’s lead, falling by as much as eight points with 5:30 remaining. Clutch free throws by Wirth and Edwards chipped away at the lead and a layup by Janecek put the Pioneers up by one with 48 seconds remaining. Two free throws by Wirth put the Pioneers up 69-66 with 14 seconds remaining.

Denver continues play in The Summit League, traveling to Western Illinois this Thursday for a 6 p.m. MT game.

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