BOX SCORE

COLORADO SPRINGS ââ'¬" Junior Daniel Amigo turned in one of the more impressive performances in the University of Denver men's basketball recent memory en route to a 77-65 victory over Air Force at Clune Arena on Saturday. With the win, the Pioneers improved to 4-5 on the year.

The victory also handed the Falcons their first loss at home this season, which entered the game 6-0 in Clune Arena.

Amigo finished the contest with a career-best 33 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double this year. The 33 points were the most by a DU player since Brian Stafford poured in 32 back in November of 2011 against Portland State.

Thomas Neff shook off his recent shooting slump to chip in with a season-high 12 points in the win.

Both teams were able to find their outside shot early, each knocking down multiple 3s to open the contest, resulting in a one-point lead for Air Force at the first media timeout.

A shooting slump fell over Denver coming out of the media timeout, causing it to go scoreless for a three-minute stretch that allowed for the Falcons to extend their lead to five before a basket by Amigo snapped the drought.

AF, though, continued its aggressive approach, resulting in a 24-16 edge with 7:33 left in the first half. Air Force also had it going on the offensive end, knocking down 52.9 percent of its first 17 shots.

Denver's offense started to come alive late in the half, using a much-needed surge to work itself back in the game, down only four at the half, 35-31.

The late-shooting hot streak from the Pioneers brought them back up to 50 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.

Two quick baskets by Amigo tied things up at 35 all to start the second half, upping his total to 10 on the afternoon. The El Paso, Texas native's strong start the result of a concerted effort to get the big man going on the block, which proved to be the difference in the game.

A costly fourth foul from Joe Rosga forced DU to rely on its backup guards for the final 13:42.

The Falcons capitalized, using a mini 6-0 run to push their lead to five at 49-44.

But Amigo would again bring Denver back, this time for good, using an array of moves to give his squad its first lead since the opening half on a midrange shot, giving him 23 in the game, a new career high.

The domination of Amigo continued the rest of half, highlighted by the 6-foot-10 center showcasing all areas of his game: post moves, dunks, midrange and even making his second 3-pointer on the year.

Amigo's career half triggered the rest of his teammates, allowing for the Pioneers to run away with this one down the stretch with several players making crucial plays that secured the 12-point win.

One for the Ages
Coach Billups challenged his guys at the half to step up their game and the big man responded with one of the better performances in program history. Amigo now has two games this season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Up Next
DU closes out its seven-game road trip with a journey to the south for a game at South Alabama on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. MT.

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