DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball team put on a show in the second half on the way to an 80-65 win over North Dakota State in Magness Arena on Wednesday. The victory gave the Pioneers their first Summit League victory of the season.

DU, trailing by six at the break, did something it hasn't been able to all year: come back with a strong second-half performance to lock up a win. The Crimson and Gold were 0-14 prior to Wednesday when down at the half.

The Pioneers' second-half effort was something to marvel at, outscoring the Bison 50-29 and showing huge glimpses of a team to be reckoned with the rest of the regular season. DU used great ball movement and some tough defense to completely take over the contest and dominated in a way not seen much so far in 2018-19.

Denver had four players score in double figures for a second straight game, led by Ade Murkey who finished with a game-high 18. The junior was key to sparking the stellar second half, scoring 16 of his 18 in the final 20 minutes of regulation.

Joe Rosga made history, climbing up to fifth on the all-time scoring list with his 17-point effort, which included going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Ronnie Harrell Jr. had his best two-way performance of the way while scoring 15 points to go with seven rebounds.

NDSU was led by 13 points from Rocky Kreuser.

North Dakota State started quick, building a nine-point lead almost nine minutes in the opening half. Denver though responded, cutting the lead back to five after some strong ball movement on the offensive end, resulting in good shots.

Neither team found separation from the other the rest of the period, with the Pioneers threating to close on several occasions before a late push from the Bison made it a two-possession game at the half, leading 36-30.

DU showed an improved 3-point defense in the first half, allowing NDSU just 4-for-12 shooting (33 percent) from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes of action.
Harrell Jr. was efficient in the half, going 4-for-6 en route to 10 points.

Rosga worked his way into the top five of the all-time scoring list in the first period after connecting on a 3 from the corner, his second make of the night.

The Crimson and Gold came out and made a statement to open the second half, going on a 10-2 run to take its first lead of the contest at 40-38 after a Murkey slam in transition.

Murkey wasn't done there, working his way into the offensive flow with some strong takes at the rim, helping keep the Denver lead intact.

From there, it was all Pioneers the final 10 minutes, just completely using stifling defense to create chances in the open court, which they take advantage of.

UP NEXT
The Pioneers (6-14, 1-5 Summit League) wraps up the homestand with a game against Oral Roberts on Sunday at 4 p.m. MT. The game can be seen on Altitude 2.

Register for Alumni Weekend
Denver men's basketball alumni weekend is set for 2019! The men's basketball Alumni Weekend tips off on Thursday night, February 28th as the Pioneers host Western Illinois at 7 p.m. On Friday, Alumni will take the floor at 5 p.m. followed our Senior Recognition Dinner at 7 p.m. with the finale to weekend – DU versus Omaha at 1 p.m. on Saturday. To register for Alumni Weekend – Contact Dwight Thorne II at Dwight.thorne@du.edu or call the basketball office at 303-871-4781. Information is also available at the marketing table in the north endzone of Magness Arena.
 
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