DENVER – The University of Denver women's basketball team downed Loyola Marymount 104-75 on Saturday afternoon for its fourth straight victory.

DU hit a season-high 15 three-pointers while holding Loyola Marymount to 4-of-13 from downtown en route to the blowout victory. The Pioneers reached the 100 point mark for the second time this season, against a Lions squad that entered Saturday afternoon's contest allowing just 58.8 points per game.

Madison Nelson led the Pioneers with 28 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. The double-double is Nelson's third straight and the fourth of her career.

Lauren Loven, who entered the game leading the country in three point field goals made, produced 23 points and five rebounds while hitting 7-of-8 from long-distance.

Claire Gritt finished with 14 points, three rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks.

Samantha Romanowski had 12 points, eight assists, three rebounds and one block.  

Denver entered the game 79^th in the RPI, earning another top-100 result after earning a win over RPI #14 Lamar in its Thanksgiving tournament last weekend.

The Pioneers and Lions opened the game exchanging baskets over the first two minutes but Loven and Romanowski hit back-to-back three's to give Denver a 13-6 advantage at the media timeout.

The DU run continued out of the break as Loyola Marymount went scoreless for nearly three minutes. A three from Gritt and a layup from Nelson made it an 11-0 run for the Pioneers who took their largest lead of the game at 12. The Lions broke the scoreless stretch with a free throw from Jasmine Jones but Denver's first-quarter dominance remained steady as the Crimson and Gold led 24-10 after one quarter.

The teams once again traded buckets in the early-going of the second period as Denver's lead was 13 at the media break. After the timeout Jasmine Jones converted an old-fashioned three-point play to make the score 32-22 but the Pioneers responded back with a mid-range jumper from Sydney Mech with 4:04 to play. Denver then ripped off an 8-4 run to end the half and take a 16-point lead at 42-26. Madison Nelson led the squad with 10 points and five rebounds while Gritt had nine first-half points.

Cierra Belvin opened the third quarter with a mid-range jumper and a three-pointer for the Lions but three's from Nelson and Loven gave Denver its largest lead of the game at 50-31. The Lions responded back with 7-2 stretch to cut the Pioneer lead to 14 points with 4:38 to play in the third quarter.

After a media-timeout the Pioneers strung together an 8-2 run to push the lead to 20 the largest of the contest with just under three minutes to play in the third. The Lions once again cut into the lead with a 4-0 run to end the quarter trailing 65-49.

DU exploded out of the fourth quarter ripping off 9-0 stretch to begin the period and push the game out of reach for Loyola Marymount. Over the final seven minutes of the game the Pioneers extended the lead to as many as 30 points while shooting 11-of-24 in the fourth.

Next Up: Denver will return to the court on Tuesday when the travel to Wyoming to take on the Cowgirls at 6:30 p.m. MT.

DENVER ATHLETICS TICKETS: For all Denver Athletics ticket inquiries, call 303-871-GOAL (4625), or visit DenverPioneers.com.

TOGETHER 4 COLORADO TOY DRIVE:
The Pioneers have partnered with CBS4 for the Together 4 Colorado Toy Drive to support the Denver community during the holiday season. Beginning Nov. 17, there will be toy drops at every Denver Athletics and Newman Center event thru Dec. 19. Additionally, there will be a Community Shop 'n Drop on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., hosted by the Denver Cheerleading squad at the circle drive on the north side of the Ritchie Center.

PIONEER MOVEMENT:
Fans interested in making a donation to the women's basketball program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.  

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