DENVER – The University of Denver women's basketball team got 49 points off its bench and 52 from its freshman class, but Denver's second-half comeback fell short 74-64 to South Dakota State on Saturday afternoon inside Hamilton Gymnasium.
 
Mikenzie Jones led the Pioneers (7-12, 3-5) and all scorers with 20 points and nine rebounds. Madelyn Atkins added 15 points off the bench, connecting on four triples. Angelina Robles helped out with 14 points from the bench, knocking down 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.
 
Denver out-rebounded South Dakota State 32-25 in Saturday's game, paced by Jones' nine boards. The Pioneers defense cleared 26 of the 30 rebound opportunities on the defensive end of the floor.
 
How It Happened
Denver struggled out of the gate, falling behind 20-6 at the end of the first quarter, and eventually went into halftime down 40-21.
 
After intermission, Denver cut its deficit to 53-36 before going on an 8-0 run to trim its deficit to 53-44 with 46 seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Denver took advantage of six South Dakota State turnovers in the quarter, scoring nine points off of takeaways.
 
South Dakota State kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 60-48 advantage before Denver went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Atkins' three, to shrink the deficit to 60-53 with 5:39 to go in the contest. Denver got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring all 20 points in the fourth.
 
GAME NOTES:

• Denver's bench combined for 49 points, the most by the Pioneers this season.
• Mikenzie Jones finished in double figures for the second time in her freshman campaign with a career-high 20 points.
  • Jones shot 9-for-12 from the field.
  • Jones finished with a career-high nine rebounds, one off a double-double.
• Madelyn Atkins finished in double figures for the second time in her freshman campaign, tallying 15 points, scoring 12 from beyond the arc and three from the free-throw line.   
• Angelina Robles finished with a season-high for her freshman campaign as well, tallying 14 points, reaching double figures for the first time in her career.

 
UP NEXT: Denver will be back in action on Monday when the Pioneers welcome South Dakota for a 6 p.m. MT tip. The game is the middle game of Denver's current five-game homestand.
 
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the 2022-23 season are available now, and can be purchased here.
 
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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This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.