DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball team fought hard but couldn't rally in the end on Saturday, falling 86-76 to Omaha in Magness Arena on Senior Day. The loss means the Pioneers season officially came to a close.

Freshman David Nzekwesi continued to show glimpses of a very bright future ahead for DU, finishing with a team-high 15 points and 10 rebounds, his first collegiate double-double.

Joe Rosga wrapped up his incredible career with seven points and three assists. The St. Paul, Minn. native finishes fourth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,621 points.

Ronnie Harrell Jr. added 13 points and five rebounds in his final outing.

JT Gibson led the Mavericks with a game-high 22 points.

Both teams came up with high energy and play, with neither team getting a lead bigger than four in the first 12 minutes. The Pioneers got a strong start from Jase Townsend, who knocked down two early 3s to start the game, helping set the tone for the period.

Omaha got a late push to take seven-point lead into the break, 42-35.

Jackson was working in the first 20 minutes against DU, scoring 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting.

The Crimson and Gold kept themselves in it with good ball movement and smart offense, shooting 50 percent from the field and limiting its turnovers to just five.

A 9-2 run to start the second half gave the Mavericks a 17-point, forcing Denver to take a timeout to talk things over. The Pioneers were sloppy with the ball, turning it over four times in the first four minutes of the period.

 DU responded with a 7-0 run of its own to make it an 11-point game by the under-12 media timeout. Nzekwesi was key during the successful stretch get two post scores.

The Crimson and Gold cut it to five after a Rosga jumper at the 9:46 mark.

But Omaha took control from there, immediately pushing its lead back into double figures with a 15-3 run that was too much for Denver to come back from.

Pioneers never got closer than 10 the rest of the way, securing the win for the Mavericks and eliminating DU from postseason play.

UP NEXT
Denver (8-22, 3-13) will return to the hardwood in the fall.

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