DENVER- A double-double effort by senior Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) led the University of Denver to a 72-60 victory over Omaha on Saturday at Magness Arena.

Udofia scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, adding three assists, two steals and two blocks. This marks his third double-double of the season.

Four Pioneers scored in double figures with junior Cam Griffin’s (San Antonio, Texas) 14 points leading the way for the Pioneers (15-12, 8-4 Summit League), while also grabbing seven rebounds. Junior Marcus Byrd (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) recorded 11 points, five rebounds and two blocks while sophomore Nate Engesser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored 11 points and dished out five assists. 

“We played really well in all areas of the game in the final 10 minutes,” head coach Joe Scott said. “We were fighting, scrapping and matching Omaha, and obviously we made some big shots. The offense saved us to where our defense could catch up and make a difference. It was nice to do it in Chris’s last home game because he played unbelievable in a big game and he finished his career at home the right way.”

Trailing by as much as nine in the first half, Denver’s three-point shooting (53.8 percent) sparked a 9-0 run that gave the Pioneers their first lead of the game at 31-27 with 5:00 remaining, and Denver took a 41-32 lead into the half. Engesser led the effort, shooting 3-of-3 from behind the arc in the first half.

Execution on offense helped the Pioneers extend their lead in the second half by as many as 23 points with 7:46 left. The Pioneers shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field and 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from the three-point line.

The Mavericks (15-13, 4-8 Summit League) scored 18 second-chance points in the game after grabbing 17 of their 43 rebounds on the offensive glass.

The Mavericks were led by CJ Carter, who scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds. Mike Rostampour scored 10 points to accompany nine rebounds. Omaha shot 34.3 percent (21-of-61) from the field and 20.0 percent (3-of-15) from beyond the arc.

Seniors Udofia, Charles Webb (Erie, Colo.) and Griffin McKenzie (Cincinnati, Ohio) were honored before the game in recognition of senior night.

Denver will conclude Summit League play next weekend, visiting South Dakota State at the Frost Arena on Thursday at 6 p.m. MT, followed by the season finale at North Dakota State on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT. Both games will air live on Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510 and 93.7 FM. 

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