KANSAS CITY - The University of Denver men's basketball team continued to show its progress under first-year coach Jeff Wulbrun, snapping a 42-game road losing streak as it took down Kansas City, 63-55 in the Swinney Center on Monday. The Pioneers jumped back up to 3-5 in Summit League play with the victory.

Inside the Box Score:
- Tevin Smith turned in the best game by a Pioneer this year, finishing with careers highs in points (23) and rebounds (10) en route to his first collegiate double-double. The Danville, Ill. native did it in the most efficient way possible, shooting 7-for-7 from the field and 8-for-8 from the line.
- Jordan Johnson was DU's other player in double figures, going for 17 points and handing out three assists.

Significant Stats:
- The Crimson and Gold allowed just 23 points in the first half, second lowest it has allowed in the first 20 minutes of a game.
- DU picked up its first road win since Dec. 11, 2018, snapping a 42-game losing streak, second longest in the NCAA.
- Denver's season-high 30 made free throws were the most by the team since 33 back on Dec. 16, 2015 in a win at Northern Colorado.
- Smith becomes the third DU freshman to score at least 21 points in a game this year, joining Touko Tainamo and Coban Porter.
- The Pioneers have matched their 2019-20 win total of seven games in the victory.

Turning Point:
A 19-7 run from Denver from 15:29 to 4:30 left in the second half that pushed its lead to double figures at 53-42.

As it Happened:
 
First Half:
Denver took control in the first four minutes, taking an 8-4 advantage that was powered by it getting to the paint. Despite some turnover issues, the Pioneers lead grew to five at 11-6 after a made 3 from Johnson, giving him five points in the contest. Smith gave DU its largest lead of the half at 19-10 after a nice turnaround bank on the low block, upping his total to nine points. Kansas City immediately countered with a 9-0 run to tie it back up at 19-19. The Crimson and Gold, though, did close the half strong, going on a 11-4 run over the final 6:34 to take a seven-point lead at the break, 30-23.

Second Half:
The Roos stormed out the gate, tying it at 32-32 with a 9-2 run, causing the Pioneers to take a timeout just 2:12 into the frame. KC got its first lead since 2-1 after a 3 from Anderson Kopp at the 17:08 mark made it 35-32. Denver answered with a 10-1 run to take a 42-36 lead after a jumper from Taelyr Gatlin, his sixth point of the night. Gatlin gave the Pioneers its first double-digit advantage of the game after connecting on a free throw, making it 51-41 with just over five minutes left in regulation. Kansas City challenged late, getting to within six points with 19 seconds left, but the Pioneers made their free throws to seal it.

Up Next:
Denver (7-14, 3-5 SL) heads home to start a three-game homestand. First up, a meeting with Omaha on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. MT.
 
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