BOX SCORE

CHENEY, Wash. - The University of Denver men's basketball team learned from its meeting against Utah Valley last Wednesday, erasing a 16-point deficit en route to a comeback win on Sunday. The Pioneers defeated Sacramento State 72-61 in their final game of the Eastern Washington Classic.

Despite a season-low 25 first-half points, DU managed again to score at least 70 points for a fifth straight game.

Daniel Amigo was the star of the game, recording his third double-double in the win with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Jake Pemberton provided some outside shooting, knocking down a career-best four 3s as part of a career-high 17 points in the victory.

Marcus Graves scored a team-high 16 for the Hornets, going 6-for-11 from the field.

Justin Strings added 13 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

A cold-shooting start plagued Denver in the opening minutes, making just two of its first eight shots of the half, both coming from Amigo.

Sacramento State was able to take advantage of the Pioneers' struggles shooting, building a seven-point lead at the under-12 media timeout, 13-6. For DU, who entered the game ranked ninth in the NCAA in field-goal percentage, they made just three of its first 14 shots (21.4 percent).

A basket in the paint by Joshua Patton gave the Hornets their first double-digit advantage of the afternoon at the 9:12 mark and his first points of the contest.

Sacramento State's lead grew to as many as 16 as Denver continued to struggle on the offensive end of the floor with its ability to make a shot.

A layup by Pemberton finally snapped a four-plus minute scoring drought at the 4:53 mark, giving the Highlands Ranch native his first two points in the period.

The layup seemed to ignite new life for the Pioneers, who closed the half on a 14-4 run to get within six at 31-25 at the break after Bradley George went coast to coast for the lay-in at the buzzer to cap off the big final minutes of the half.

The bench play of DU helped carry the team in the first 20 minutes, scoring nearly half of the points with 12.

A strong finish in the first half carried over into the second, as the Pioneers used an 11-4 run in the first 2:28 to secure its first lead of the afternoon at 37-35 after a basket from C.J. Bobbitt.

Both teams traded baskets the next several minutes, a trend that played out for the majority of the half, as neither team built a lead of more than two points.

A key 3-pointer with 10:13 left in regulation from Pemberton gave the junior 12 in the game, setting a new season high and putting DU up by three.

An offensive put-back from Amigo gave Denver its first two-possession lead of the afternoon at 59-55, upping his total to 15.

The Pioneers pulled away shortly after with a flurry of points, resulting in a 13-6 run that allowed for the 11-point win.

Up Next
DU returns to the hardwood for a game against regional foe Wyoming on Wednesday, Nov. 30 in Laramie. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. MT.

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