DENVER, CO --The Denver men's basketball team fell short in a 73-69 loss to the Sacramento State Hornets at home Monday.

The Pioneers (2-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Tommy Bruner, who had 17 points and five assists. Justin Mullins added 11 points and two steals and Tyree Corbett chipped in as well with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Denver forced 15 Sacramento State turnovers while committing 13 themselves in Monday's game. The Pioneers turned those takeaways into 18 points on the other end of the floor. Mullins' two steals led the way for Denver.

How It Happened

After falling behind 24-22, Denver went on a 6-0 run with 7:53 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Tevin Smith, to take a 28-24 lead. The Pioneers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 36-33 advantage. Denver did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 22 of its 36 points close to the basket.

Denver kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Lukas Kisunas' layup, to grow the lead to 52-44 with 13:21 to go in the contest. Sacramento State then asserted control, outscoring the Pioneers 29-17 the rest of the way to hand Denver the 73-69 loss. Denver took care of business in the paint, recording 20 of its 33 points in the lane.

Game Notes

» The Denver defense forced 15 turnovers.
» Tommy Bruner led the Pioneers with 17 points, which was a season high.
» Denver slipped to 2-1 this season when shooting over 50 percent in a game. 
» Pioneers had four players in double figures.
» Lukas Kisunas added 10 points off the bench. 
» Denver got a game-high nine rebounds from Touko Tainamo.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.