BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY

MOBILE, Ala. ââ'¬" Despite a season-low 22 points in the first half, the University of Denver men's basketball team got itself rolling in the second on the way to 64-51 victory at South Alabama on Tuesday. The Pioneers' victory brought them back to .500 at 5-5 on the season and gave them their first back-to-back wins of the year.

DU closed out its seven-game road trip at 4-3.

Joe Rosga racked up a game-high 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting. The St. Paul, Minnesota native had the shooting stroke going from deep, making five 3s on the night.

Daniel Amigo shook off a scoreless first half to finish with 11 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes of action, narrowly missing out on his fifth double-double of the season.

Denver used good defense and a strong start by C.J. Bobbitt to take a 9-7 lead into the first media timeout. The Harker Heights, Texas native opened with six of the first nine points for the Pioneers, not missing a shot in the process.

DU, though, could not find separation over the next few minutes, keeping it a one-possession game with South Alabama.

The Jaguars finally took the lead for the first time since the opening two minutes after a layup by Nick Stover at the 8:03 mark.

Back-to-back baskets from Rosga gave Denver a one-point edge shortly before the half, upping the sophomore's total to six in the period.

A strong finish by South Alabama allowed for it to take a four-point advantage into the break, 26-22.

Both teams struggled to shoot in the opening 20 minutes, with the Pioneers finishing at 31.8 percent and the Jaguars at 31.0 percent.

Rebounding was the difference in the first half, with South Alabama outrebounding DU 24-14, resulting in an 8-0 advantage in second-chance points.

Denver also missed the play of Amigo, who only got seven minutes due to foul trouble and was resigned to the bench the rest of the period.

The second half started well for the Pioneers, who came out with an 11-4 run in the first 4:17 to take a three-point lead by the media timeout. DU really had some good ball movement going, assisting on four of its first five made field goals.

A 3-pointer from Rosga extended the lead to six for Denver at 39-33 and kept its hot shooting in the half going.

The Pioneers kept the offense rolling, building their lead to 12 after Rosga connected on his fifth 3-pointer of the game, giving him 20 in the contest.

DU never let the Jaguars within 10 the rest of the way, shutting down any chance of a comeback with defensive stops and executing on the offensive end, getting the 64-51 victory and ending the road trip with a winning record.

Second-half Magic
Coach Billups seems to have the magic touch with his squad when it comes to adjustments for the second half this year. Denver once again started dialing up the defense while getting good looks that it knocked down on the offensive end. The Pioneers have now scored at least 40 points in the final 20 minutes in four of their last six games.

Up Next
DUreturns home to start a five-game homestand, beginning with a match-up with Northern Colorado on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. MT.

JOIN THE PIONEER NATION

Like Denver Pioneers, Denver Men's Basketballon Facebook

Follow @DU_Pioneers, @DU_MHoops on Twitter

Follow denverpioneers, du_mhoops on Instagram