DENVER, CO --Tommy Bruner collected 29 points and Touko Tainamo added 22 and the Denver men's basketball team took down the UMKC Kangaroos 85-83 at home Thursday.

The Pioneers (10-5, 1-1) had three players score in double figures, led by Bruner, who had 29 points and four assists. Tainamo tacked on 22 points and Justin Mullins helped out with 12 points, nine rebounds and two steals.

Tyree Corbett pulled down three offensive rebounds to lead the Denver offense which grabbed 17 boards and turned them into 18 second chance points.

The Denver defense held UMKC shooters to just 37 percent from the field, including 30 percent from three-point range. The Pioneers also kept RayQuawndis Mitchell to 4-of-17 shooting in the game.

How It Happened

After playing to a 7-7 tie, Denver went on a 7-0 run with 15:18 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Bruner, to take a 14-7 lead. The Pioneers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 26-22 advantage.

Denver kept its lead intact before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Corbett's jumper, to grow the lead to 43-31 with 10:39 to go in the contest. The Kangaroos then fought back to even things up at 66-66 and send the game to overtime. Denver took care of business in the paint, recording 22 of its 40 points in the lane.

UMKC then snagged a 75-71 advantage with 1:44 left in the second overtime before Denver responded by going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Tainamo's three, to seize a 76-75 lead with 55 seconds to go in the period. The Kangaroos fought back to extend the matchup, but Denver pulled away in the third overtime to pick up the 85-83 win.

Game Notes

» This was the first triple-overtime game that the Pioneers have played in during their D-I era (1998-pres.)
» The Pioneers held the Kangaroos to only 37 percent shooting from the field.\
» Tommy Bruner and Touko Tainamo carried the load for the Pioneers, accounting for 60 percent their points.
» Tommy Bruner's 29 points were a new season high, just one shy of his career best. 
» Denver reaches 10 wins before January 1 for the first time since 2011 with the victory. 
» Touko Tainamo's 22 points were a new career high for the sophomore. 
» Denver had a 55-40 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Pioneers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording seven blocks as a team.
» Denver cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 17 offensive boards in the game.
» Justin Mullins added 12 points. 
» Tyree Corbett nabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to lead Denver and Lukas Kisunas contributed 10.
 

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This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.