DENVER -- The University of Denver women's basketball team hit 13-of-31 attempts from beyond the arc, shooting 41.9 percent from deep in a 66-60 victory over the St. Thomas Tommies inside Hamilton Gymnasium Thursday.
The Pioneers (6-8, 2-1) had three players score in double figures, led by Ally Haar, who had 15 points and four assists. Emma Smith added 15 points, five assists and two steals and Mikayla Brandon chipped in as well with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Denver shared the ball well in Thursday's game, racking up 17 assists on 23 made field goals. Smith's career-high five assists paced the Pioneers.
The Denver defense caused its share of UST mistakes in Thursday's game, forcing 13 St. Thomas turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 14 points on the other end of the floor.
How It Happened
After falling behind 10-3, Denver went on a 6-0 run with 4:22 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Smith, to narrow its deficit to 10-9, a score that would hold for the rest of the period.
Denver kept the Tommies from increasing their lead before going on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a three from Haar, to take an 18-14 lead. The Tommies cut into that lead, but the Pioneers still enjoyed a 29-27 advantage heading into halftime. Denver was strong from deep in the period, knocking down four three-point shots to account for 12 of its 20 points.
St. Thomas then took a 42-37 lead following intermission before Denver went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Cheyenne Forney, to tie things up at 42 with 58 seconds to go in the third. The Pioneers moved ahead of the Tommies and grabbed a 45-44 lead heading to the fourth.
Denver kept widening that lead, expanding it to 54-50 before going on an 8-0 run to grow the lead to 62-50 with 3:07 to go in the contest. Denver took advantage of five St. Thomas turnovers in the quarter, scoring eight points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
- Mikayla Brandon finished in double figures for the seventh time this season and the 18th time in her career.
- Brandon also added a team-high six rebounds.
- Emma Smith finished in double figures for the second-straight game and the 10th time in her freshman campaign.
- Smith finished with a rookie-season-high five assists.
- Ally Haar finished in double figures for the sixth time this season and the 29th time in her career.
- The Pioneers shot well from three point range, knocking down 13 of 31 long range attempts.
- 13 triples ties the most for the Pioneers in a game this season, and is the season-high against Division I opponents.
- Denver opened the New Year with just nine turnovers, good for its second-fewest in a game this season.
- The Pioneers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording seven blocks as a team, the second most in a game for DU this season.
UP NEXT: Denver will be back in action on Saturday afternoon against Western Illinois. Tip is set for 1 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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This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
