DENVER – The University of Denver women's basketball team dropped the middle game of its five-game homestand by a count of 59-50 against South Dakota on Monday night inside Hamilton Gymnasium.
The Pioneers (7-13, 3-6) had two players score in double figures, led by Emma Smith, who had 14 points. Ally Haar tacked on 12 points and four assists and Mikayla Brandon added five points, six rebounds and two steals.
Denver's offense was very productive from deep, pouring in nine triples on the evening. Haar and Smith both drained three treys in the contest.
How It Happened
After falling behind 9-5, Denver went on a 6-0 run with 2:14 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Emily Counsel, to take an 11-9 lead. The Pioneers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 12-11. The Pioneers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 30-20 halftime deficit.
South Dakota increased its lead after halftime, building a 36-24 advantage before Denver went on an 8-0 run to trim its deficit to 36-32 with 5:58 to go in the third. South Dakota countered and stretched its lead to 44-38 heading into the fourth. Denver took advantage of four South Dakota turnovers in the quarter, scoring eight points off of takeaways.
South Dakota kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 48-38 advantage before Denver went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Mikenzie Jones' layup, to shrink the deficit to 48-43 with 6:46 to go in the contest. South Dakota responded and outscored the Pioneers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 59-50. Denver fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 12 points.
GAME NOTES:
- Emma Smith finished with 14 points.
- Smith finished in double figures for the 12th time in her freshman campaign.
- Makayla Minett finished with four blocks.
- Minett had 4+ blocks for the fourth time this season and the seventh time in her career.
- Minett became the fifth Pioneer in the program's DI history to reach 100 career blocks (101), doing so in just her 50th game with the program.
- Ally Haar finished with 12 points.
- Haar finished in double figures for the 10th time this season and the 33rd time in her career.
UP NEXT: Denver will be back in action on Thursday night when the Pioneers welcome Oral Roberts to Hamilton Gymnasium. Tip for game four of the five-game homestand is set for 6 p.m. MT.
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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