DENVER, CO --The Denver men's basketball team kept Idaho to just 20 percent from deep in a 6-for-30 shooting performance on the way to a 68-63 win over the Vandals at home Monday.

The Pioneers (1-0) had three players score in double figures, led by Tevin Smith, who had 23 points and two steals. Tommy Bruner added 12 points and Lukas Kisunas chipped in as well with 11 points and three blocks.

Denver out-rebounded Idaho 36-30 in Monday's game, led by Tyree Corbett's 13 boards.

The Denver defense was a problem in Monday's game, forcing 14 Idaho turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 11 points on the offensive end of the floor. Touko Tainamo's two steals led the way individually for the Pioneers.

How It Happened

After falling behind 15-11, Denver went on a 7-0 run with 11:17 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Justin Mullins, to take an 18-15 lead. The Pioneers then added two points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 35-30 advantage. Denver did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 20 of its 35 points close to the basket.

Denver kept its lead intact before going on a 10-0 run, finished off by Bruner's jumper, to grow the lead to 45-33 with 13:36 to go in the contest. The Vandals narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Pioneers still held on for the 68-63 win. Denver took care of business in the paint, recording 18 of its 33 points in the lane.

Game Notes

» Denver never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Denver had a great day defensively, holding Idaho to 20 percent from beyond the arc on 30 attempts.
» Denver had a 36-30 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Denver defense forced 14 turnovers.
» The Pioneers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» Tevin Smith led the Pioneers with a game-high 23 points, which tied a career-best.
» Tyree Corbett grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to lead Denver and Touko Tainamo contributed 10.
» Pioneers held an opponent to lowest amount of points in a season-opening win since 2018. 
» DU improved to 5-0 in the all-time series against the Vandals. 

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

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