VERMILLION, S.D. --The Denver men's basketball team shot 56.2 percent from three-point range on the way to a 75-60 win over the South Dakota Coyotes on the road Thursday.

The Pioneers (12-9, 3-5) had three players score in double figures, led by Tevin Smith, who had 20 points. Marko Lukic added 15 points off of the bench and Tommy Bruner chipped in as well with 13 points and seven assists.

The Denver offense was strong from beyond the arc, pouring in nine threes on 16 attempts. Smith hit four treys for the Pioneers in the contest.

Denver's defense held South Dakota to only 37.7 percent shooting from the field, including 27.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Coyotes did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with five offensive rebounds and managed seven second chance points while Denver cleared 26 defensive rebounds.

How It Happened

After falling behind 10-5, Denver went on a 6-0 run with 15:02 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Lukic, to take an 11-10 lead. The Pioneers then maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 31-30 advantage. Denver relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down five shots to account for 15 of its 31 points.

Denver kept its lead intact before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Smith's layup, to grow the lead to 52-42 with 11:35 to go in the contest. The Pioneers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 75-60 win. Denver got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 14 of its 44 total points.

Game Notes

» The Pioneers made over half of their attempts from three point range, knocking down nine of 16 shots, tying a season high for made 3s.
» The Pioneers held the Coyotes to only 37.7 percent shooting from the field.
» The Denver bench came alive by scoring 24 points to its scoring output.
» Denver had a 31-20 edge on the boards in the win.
» Tevin Smith led the Pioneers with a game-high 20 points, his second straight game with at least 20. 
» Smith knocked down four 3s in the win, a new career high. 
» Denver got a game-high seven rebounds from Touko Tainamo.
» Denver picked up its first road win at South Dakota since Feb. 21, 2016.
» Denver's 12 wins now are the most by the team since 2017-18.
» Denver improved to 10-1 on the year when leading at the half. 
» DU is now 11-3 in head coach Jeff Wulbrun's career when holding opponents to 70 points or less.

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This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.