BOX SCORE

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Samantha Romanowski (Mountlake Terrace, Wash.) led the Pioneers with 12 points, including three 3-point baskets, as the University of Denver women's basketball team fell to IPFW 61-49 Saturday in Fort Wayne.

The Pioneers shot 42.9 percent (18-of-42), while IPFW shot 37.7 percent (23-of-61) in the game. Denver hit 28.6 percent (4-of-14) from behind the 3-point arc, and IPFW shot 18.2 percent (4-of-22).

The Mastodons were led by Josie Fisher's 13 points.

The Pioneer offense struggled in the game with only 18 made field goals and a season-high 25 turnovers.

Jordyn Alt (North Oaks, Minn.) pulled down 12 rebounds and had a career-best four blocks in the loss, and Ciera Morgan (Parker, Colo.) dished out five assists. Jacqlyn Poss (Shoreview, Minn.) reached double-digits, tallying 10 points on shooting 4-for-5 from the field.

Denver's defense -- which has caused opponents problems all year -- suffocated the Mastodons in the first quarter, with IPFW shooting 1-for-16 in the first 10 minutes. The Pioneers kept the Mastodons off the board for the first 5:23 before a foul gave IPFW an opportunity to score. Denver's offense also got off to a poor start, but the Pioneers held a 9-3 lead after the first quarter.

IPFW responded in the second with three baskets to take the lead and ultimately gained a 13-9 advantage before Denver called a timeout with 6:51 to go in the first half. The Pioneers' offensive struggles continued in the quarter, with Denver only making four field goals. IPFW outscored DU 20-11 in the second to gain a 23-20 edge at the break.

The Mastodons never surrendered the lead for the rest of the afternoon.

IPFW had seven unanswered points to begin the third. The Pioneers forced a shot clock violation with 6:07 remaining in the third quarter to allow Poss to score Denver's first basket of the second half. DU powered back to score 16 points in the final 5:55 of the third period.

The Pioneers entered the fourth quarter trailing IPFW 41-36.

Despite five fourth-quarter points from Romanowski and four points from Paige Bradley (The Woodlands, Texas), Denver could not surpass the Mastodons, who recorded 20 points in the quarter for the second time on the day.

Up Next
Denver (4-18, 2-7 SL) will return to Magness Arena for a four-game homestand, beginning with South Dakota. The Pioneers will take on the Coyotes Friday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. MT.

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