U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, CO -- Emma Smith scored 22 points, but the Denver women's basketball team fell to the Air Force Falcons 65-63 on the road Monday night.

Smith added eight rebounds and three assists to her 22 point game to lead the Pioneers (0-1). Jojo Jones helped out with a double double of 12 points and 13 rebounds and Angelina Robles chipped in with 12 points and two steals.

The Denver defense was a problem in Monday's game, forcing 14 Air Force turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 17 points on the other end of the floor.

How It Happened

Denver struggled out of the gate, falling behind 19-5 at the end of the first quarter.

Denver then cut the Falcons lead to 25-12 before going on a 7-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Robles, to narrow its deficit to 25-19. Air Force responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Pioneers trailing 30-23 heading into halftime.

Air Force continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 40-29 advantage before Denver went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Robles, to trim its deficit to 40-34 with 2:31 to go in the third. Air Force countered and stretched its lead to 47-37 heading into the fourth. Denver played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 14 points in the paint.

Denver narrowed its deficit to 61-58 before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Jones' jumper, to seize a 63-61 lead with 45 seconds to go in the contest. Air Force re-asserted control, outscoring the Pioneers 4-0 the rest of the way to hand Denver the 65-63 loss. Denver fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 26 points.

Game Notes

» Jojo Jones notched a double-double for the Pioneers with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
» The Denver defense forced 14 turnovers.
» Emma Smith led the Pioneers with a game-high 22 points.
» Denver got a game-high 13 rebounds from Jojo Jones.
» Robles' two steals led the way individually for the Pioneers.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.