DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball team couldn't use a late second-half to chase down Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday, falling 70-63 in Hamilton Gymnasium. Jase Townsend led the Pioneers with a team-high 15 points.

Robert Jones narrowly missed out on his second double-double this season, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Roscoe Eastmond added six points, six assists and five steals in the loss.

Brian Patrick and Deonte Billups each scored 15 points for PFW.

Both teams traded buckets to start the contest with Denver taking a 13-12 lead by the under-12 media timeout. Townsend started hot, getting six quick points for the Pioneers.

Purdue Fort Wayne separated with a 12-0 run coming out of the media timeout to push lead to nine at 24-13.

The Mastodons closed out the half, up 38-19.

Townsend finished the opening 20 minutes with nine points, a team best for DU.

The Crimson and Gold opened the second with a fast 6-0 run, forcing PFW to take a timeout just 2:07 into the period.

But Purdue Fort Wayne pushed lead back out to 22, its largest of the game, after a 3-pointer from Matt Holba made it 49-27.

Denver rallied back to get within six but couldn't get any closer from there.

UP NEXT:
Denver (5-20, 1-10 Summit League) hits the road for a two-game trip next week. First up, a meeting at South Dakota State on Friday. Tip is set for 6 p.m. MT.

2020 DENVER ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME RECEPTION: Denver announced its 2020 Athletic Hall of Fame class in January. The inductees will be honored on the DU campus May 16. For more information, registration for the reception and donation information, click here. 

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