DELAND, Fla. – Graduate student Ally Haar gave Denver the lead from the line with 18 seconds to go and freshman Emma Smith knocked down points 23 and 24 of the night from the stripe with four ticks on the clock to take the University of Denver women's basketball team past Stetson 62-59 on Friday night at The J. Ollie Edmunds Center.
The Pioneers (3-5) had two players score in double figures, led by Smith, who had 24 points and two steals. Mikayla Brandon added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Jojo Jones and Haar added nine points apiece.
The Denver offense was strong from downtown, making 11 threes on 25 attempts. Smith hit five treys to lead the Pioneers in the contest.
How It Happened
Denver started out the scoring by going on an 11-0 run, culminating in a three from Jones, to take an early lead with 6:32 left in the first quarter. The Pioneers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 17-9 advantage. Denver relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down five shots to account for 15 of its 17 points.
The Pioneers kept their first quarter lead intact before going on a 5-0 run starting at the 4:32 mark in the second period to increase its lead to 28-16. The Hatters cut into that lead, but the Pioneers still enjoyed a 31-26 advantage heading into halftime. Denver saw its bench score eight of its 14 total points in the quarter.
Denver continued to preserve its halftime lead by going on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a three from Haar, to expand its lead further to 39-29 with 6:29 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Hatters had cut into that lead , but the Pioneers still entered the fourth quarter with a 43-41 edge.
Stetson proceeded to take a 59-51 lead before Denver ended the game how it started it, on an 11-0 run to seize a 62-59 lead with four seconds to go in the contest, a score which would hold for the rest of the game.
Game Notes
- The 11-0 run to start the game for the Pios was their best start to a game since a 15-0 spurt to start its 76-60 road win over Northern Arizona on December 28, 2008.
- DU shots a season-best 46.5% from the field, knocking down 20 of 43 attempts in the game.
- Denver knocked down a season-high 11 triples on the night, shooting over 40% from beyond the arc for the first time this season (11-25/44%).
- The Pioneers tied a season-best with six blocks on the night, their third-straight contest with at least five rejections. Makayla Minett and Jojo Jones had two apiece to lead the way, and Mikayla Brandon had the biggest one down the stretch to give Denver a defensive stand in the final minute of regulation.
- Emma Smith finished in double figures for the seventh-consecutive contest to start her collegiate career, scoring 24 points on Friday night.
- Smith is the first freshman to score in double figures in her first six collegiate games (and seven) since at least the 2000-01 season.
- Smith is the first Pioneer in any year in school to score in double figures in six-straight games to start the season since Meghan Boyd did so in the first eight in the 2020-21 season.
- Mikayla Brandon finished with her second double-double of the season and the fifth of her career, netting 10 points to go with 10 boards.
- Brandon finished in double figures for the third time this season and the 14th time in her collegiate career.
- Brandon finished in double-digit rebounds for the fourth time this season and the 15th time in her career.
- Brandon became the second Pioneer this season to reach 100 career games played on Friday night (joining Ally Haar – Nov. 25).
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
UP NEXT: The University of Denver women's basketball team will wrap-up a three-game road swing when the Pioneers travel up I-25 north to Colorado State. Tip on Tuesday is set for 6:30 p.m. MT.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the 2022-23 season are available now, and can be purchased here. Season tickets start at just $59.
LONG BALL ELITE: Back for a second season, the Denver women's basketball program is running its Long Ball Elite fundraiser in 2022-23. Fans in a position to donate, consider pledging a dollar amount per 3-pointer made by the DU Pioneers this season. Join the Long Ball Elite campaign today.
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