SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The University of Denver women's basketball team finished the Puerto Rico Clasico with a 79-70 loss to Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon in Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum. 

Junior Claire Gritt led the way for Denver with 14 points and six rebounds, while redshirt junior Briana Johnson added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists in the loss.

Johnson opened the game with the first five points in the first minute. After DU held the lead for the opening 8:24, Leighah-Amori Wool made a layup as Western Michigan took a 17-16 lead after the first quarter.

Following a Madison Nelson layup four seconds into the second quarter, the Broncos regained the lead just 22 seconds later with a Reily Jacobson layup. The teams went to halftime knotted at 31-31 after Gritt converted an and-one with 1:05 to go in the opening half.

The Broncos opened the second half on a 9-6 run over the first three minutes. The Crimson and Gold kept fighting, tying the game on three separate occasions.

Western Michigan's Breanna Mobley finished a layup with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter to break the tie, giving the Broncos a 47-45 advantage.

Following a nine-point lead after three quarters, the Broncos extended their lead to 11, their first double-digit lead of the game, five seconds into the final quarter with a Wool layup. With 5:47 to play, Jacobson put Western Michigan up by 21 with a layup, their largest lead of the game.

DU kept pushing, hitting four-straight shots in a 51-second span late in the fourth to cut the deficit to 11, but Western Michigan held on to secure the win.

UP NEXT
The Pioneers return home to open Summit League play in Magness Arena at 1 pm (MT) on Dec. 29 against North Dakota State.

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