BOX SCORE

CHENEY, Wash. - A last-minute rally to force overtime wasn't enough on Saturday for the University of Denver men's basketball team, losing 85-80 to Eastern Washington. The Pioneers' loss gave them their first losing streak of the season.

C.J. Bobbitt, coming off the bench, scored a season-high 16 points in defeat.

Daniel Amigo spearheaded the DU attack on offense, finishing with a team-high 19 to go along with eight rebounds, narrowly missing out on his third double-double of the year.

The Eagles were led by the all-around play of Bogdan Bliznuk, who nearly racked up a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

Felix Von Hofe poured in a game-high 23 points in 38 minutes for EWU.

Denver opened the game with the energy it was looking for, taking a quick 12-7 lead into the first media timeout, highlighted by two made 3-pointers from Jake Pemberton and two quick buckets in the paint by Amigo.

Eastern Washington closed quickly on the Pioneers with a barrage of 3s to take its first lead of the night at 21-19 after a triple from Von Hofe, giving him five points in the half.

A key 3-pointer from Joe Rosga sparked the DU offense, resulting in a 7-2 run that pushed the lead to seven - its largest of the game -- with four minutes left in the half.

Denver closed the half getting timely baskets to stop any type of Eagles' run, taking a 41-37 edge into the break.

Stellar shooting kept the Pioneers going in the first half, connecting on 54.8 percent (17-for-31) from field, which included a 7-for-12 outing from deep.

A key factor in the opening half was DU's ability to take care of the ball, turning it over just five times during the stretch.

In the second half, EWU took its second lead out the gate by scoring the half's first five points and taking a one-point advantage. The fast start was part of a 10-6 run from Eastern Washington, who took a 49-47 advantage going into the media timeout.

The Eagles extended their lead to four after a pair of made free throws from Jacob Wiley, putting his total to 12 on the game.

Not letting this one get away, Denver tied things back up at 57 all at the 9:28 mark with a two-hand jam from Amigo off a great pass from an attacking Bradley George.

Bobbitt then came to life, striking for five points on back-to-back possessions to bring things to a tie at 62-62 going into the under-eight media timeout. The five fast points upped his total to 13 in the game.

EWU got some separation with a 14-7 run over a 5:13 stretch late in the second half that saw its lead grow to two-possessions at 71-66. The margin ballooned to eight shortly later.

Not admitting defeat, the Pioneers came storming back in the final 1:15, using an 8-0 run to tie things up after a basket from Rosga evened it up at 75 on a put-back attempt with 15 seconds remaining in regulation. Eastern Washington failed to close it out at the buzzer with two missed attempts at the game-winner.

A three-point play the old-fashioned way from Amigo opened a three-point lead for DU to start overtime, giving the junior center 19 in the contest.

Denver, though, got cold after that, scoring only two more points in the extra-five-minute period. Rosga had a chance to tie it up but his contested 3-point attempt came up just short with 1.5 seconds left, forcing the Pioneers to foul.

EWU converted both free throws, putting the game out of reach.

Up Next
DU closes out the Eastern Washington Classic with a meeting against Sacramento State (1-4) on Sunday. Tip is set for 1:05 p.m. MT.

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