DENVER – The No. 12 University of Denver women's lacrosse team's defense held Ohio State to just 16 shots, eight shots on goal and five tallies in a 12-5 victory over previously unbeaten Ohio State on Friday afternoon at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
 
Friday afternoon's win was the 200th of head coach Liza Kelly's DU tenure.
 
Inside the Box Score:
Julia Gilbert had a hat trick and a four-point day for the Pioneers. Bea Behrins also had a four-point afternoon on two goals and two assists. Denver had five multi-goal scorers in total with Lauren Black, Charlotte Boote and Kayla DeRose all finding the back of the net twice.
 
In addition to limiting Ohio State's shot count, the Pioneers recorded 21 caused turnovers. Denver's CT count tied for the seventh-most in a single game in program history and was the highest total since April 7, 2012. Denver had 10 different players with a caused turnover, led by five from Kailee Lammers.
 
First Quarter:
Denver raced out to a 4-0 advantage in the first quarter. Lauren Black got Denver started 3:24 into the contest to give the Pioneers an early lead. Charlotte Boote finished a Caroline Colimore helper to double Denver's lead and then Sara Palmisano finished a Behrins feed to make it 3-0 Denver.
 
Behrins closed out the first quarter scoring with her 13th goal of the season to put Denver up 4-0. DU's defense held Ohio State without a shot on goal in the opening 15 minutes and forced nine Ohio State turnovers.
 
In overall shots, Denver outshot Ohio State 9-2 in the first quarter.  
 
Second Quarter:
Behrins ended the first and started the second quarter scoring to make it 5-0 with 13:15 to go in the first half.
 
Denver continued to turn defense into offense for its sixth goal. Sammie Morton hit Gilbert in stride in transition and Gilbert got into double figures with her 10th tallyt of the season to move Denver's lead to 6-0.
 
Ohio State's first shot on goal came 24:35 into the contest, and the Buckeyes first goal came just after that from the free position arc to put an end to Denver's 6-0 run. The Ohio State goal with 5:23 to play was the final tally for either team in the half.
 
Denver's defense had 13 caused turnovers from nine different players in the opening 30 minutes, while allowing just two shots on goal.
 
Third Quarter:
Following a chalked off Ohio State goal due to an illegal stick, Denver went on a 3-0 run to start the scoring in the third quarter. Kayla DeRose scored a pair in the run, including a laser into the top corner from the free position arc. Gilbert had the middle goal in the run, also a free-position tally.
 
The three goals were the only three goals of the quarter as Denver's defense continued to clamp down on the Buckeyes, holding the visitors to just three shots on goal in the first 45 minutes.
 
Fourth Quarter:
Ohio State got the first two and four of the first five goals in the fourth quarter to cut the Denver lead to five with 8:43 to play. Black had the only Pioneers' goal in the run. Denver closed out the scoring with the final two tallies. Gilbert scored woman-up with 51 seconds left and Boote tallied her fifth of the season with 18 seconds to go to make it 12-5 Denver.
 
UP NEXT: Denver will continue its four-game homestand next Friday when the Pioneers welcome UC Davis to Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. Opening draw is set for 1 p.m. MT.  
 
CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Masks are required at all indoor athletic events. For the latest University of Denver updates on the coronavirus, click here.

DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the Pioneers Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will transform the lives of our student-athletes by giving them the first-class resources needed to excel in the classroom and beyond. Thank you for Building Pioneers for Life!
 
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Women's Lacrosse on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_WLAX on Twitter
Follow @DenverPioneers and @du_wlax on Instagram