South Dakota Takes Down Denver in Summit League Opener

Saturday, January 2

Vermillion, S.D.

12 PM MT

University of Denver

2-7,0-1Summit L

South Dakota

5-3,1-0Summit L

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Denver	8	8	14	17	47
South Dakota	25	20	25	17	87

Photo by: Chris Smith

South Dakota Takes Down Denver in Summit League Opener

1/2/2021 1:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Ezeudu led Denver with 15 points

By: Niko Blankenship

VERMILLION, S.D. – The University of Denver women's basketball team dropped its Summit League opener by a count of 87-47 to South Dakota in both teams' Summit League opener on Saturday afternoon at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

Inside the Box Score:

Uju Ezeudu led the Pioneers with 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Denver had 10 players score and six different Pioneers make a triple in the loss.
South Dakota had four players in double figures, including three with 16+ points.
Hannah Sjerven had a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds in the victory for the Coyotes.

Significant Stats:

Ezeudu finished in double figures for the seventh time in nine games in 2020-21, adding to her 15 games in double figures from her freshman season a year ago.

Turning Point:
South Dakota raced out to a 14-5 lead before the first media timeout and never looked back en-route to its fifth win of the season.

As it Happened:
First Quarter:
The Coyotes raced out to a 25-8 lead in the opening 10 minutes, shooting 8-for-13 from the field and converting on seven of eight attempts from the line in the first stanza.

Second Quarter:
South Dakota's defense held Denver to eight points again in the second quarter to earn a 45-16 lead at the intermission. Ezeudu led Denver with 10 points in the first half on 3-of-4 shooting, to go with five rebounds and three steals in 11 minutes.

Third Quarter:
Denver made six of its 17 attempts from the field in the third quarter, but South Dakota was able to stretch its lead out to 70-29 with 10 minutes to play. The Pioneers had six different players score in the quarter, including a triple from Claire Gritt.

Fourth Quarter:
DU and USD scored 17 points apiece in the final quarter. Denver converted seven of 10 tries at the line and had a pair of triples in the period.

Up Next:
Denver and South Dakota will complete the weekend series Sunday at 12 p.m. MT.

CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION:
For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.

DONATE:
Fans interested in making a donation to the Pioneers Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will transform the lives of our student-athletes by giving them the first-class resources needed to excel in the classroom, in the classroom and beyond. Thank you for Building Pioneers for Life!

- Our Journey, Our Time -
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Women's Basketball on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Whoops on Twitter
Follow @denverpioneers and @du_whoops on Instagram