WBB at Western Illinois (21 FEB 15) - Audio Only

Box Score

MACOMB, Ill. - The University of Denver women's basketball team couldn't slow down Ashley Luke and the Western Illinois University Fighting Leathernecks on Saturday evening at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill. Western Illinois (17-10, 9-5 Summit) carried a 42-26 advantage into halftime and eventually prevailed 75-56 over Denver (8-20, 5-9 Summit).

Junior Ashley Luke took over the game from the outset, scoring six of the first 10 Fighting Leathernecks points. Denver tied the game at 14-14 at the 10:41 mark of the first half when freshman Kaila Burroughs (St. Cloud, Minn.) buried a 3-pointer. Then Western Illinois regained the lead with a 13-3 run over the next four minutes and took a 16-point advantage into halftime. Luke finished the first half with 17 points and seven rebounds, while shooting 6-for-6 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

In the second half the Pioneers adjusted their defense to try to stop Luke, but it meant leaving shooters open at the 3-point line and Michelle Farrow took advantage. Farrow knocked down five 3-pointers in the second half and finished the game with 18 points on 6-of-8 from downtown. For the game, Luke put in 23 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, delivered six assists and had four steals.

Sophomore Jacqlyn Poss (Shoreview, Minn.) and junior Paige Bradley (The Woodlands, Texas) led the Pioneers in scoring with 13 points each. Poss shot 6-of-12 from the field and recorded five rebounds and two assists. Bradley nailed a pair of 3-pointers to go along with six rebounds and four assists for Denver. Burroughs had her second straight solid game with eight points off the bench for the Crimson and Gold. Forward Jesse Spittel (Yorba Linda, Calif.) collected a team-high eight rebounds and chipped in five points.

Senior Morgan Van Riper-Rose (Eden Prairie, Minn.) finished the game with six points and dished out five assists. Van Riper-Rose is now just two points shy of moving into 10^th place on the Pioneers all-time scoring list. She currently has 1,282 career points, while Britteni Rice (2008-11) sits at 1,283 points.

For the game, Denver shot 33 percent (22-of-67) from the field and 33 percent (8-of-24) from the 3-point line, while Western Illinois connected on 44 percent (27-of-62) of its attempts from the field and 38 percent (9-of-24) from behind the 3-point arc. The Pioneers attempted just five free throws in the game, making four. Meanwhile the Fighting Leathernecks dropped in 80 percent (12-of-15) of their attempts from the foul line.

Denver finishes up the regular season with two road games next week. First up is a trip to Fargo, N.D. to face the Bison of North Dakota State on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. MT. The Pioneers wrap up the regular season against Omaha on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. A broadcast of the Pioneers' remaining two road games will be available on Pioneer Vision.

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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