BROOKINGS, SD --The Denver women's basketball team fell, 68-50, to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on the road Saturday.
The Pioneers (4-12, 1-2) had two players score in double figures, led by Emma Smith, who had 13 points and two steals. Alaisha Brown tacked on a career-high 11 points from the bench and Jordan Jones added six points, seven assists and three steals.
Led by Makayla Minett's five offensive rebounds, Denver did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 11 boards that resulted in eight second chance points.
The Denver defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Saturday's game, forcing 14 South Dakota State turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 21 points on the other end of the floor. Jones' three steals led the way individually for the Pioneers.
How It Happened
Denver struggled out of the gate, falling behind 26-9 at the end of the first quarter.
The Pioneers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 42-24 halftime deficit.
Denver's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Pioneers faced a 56-27 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Denver knocked down one three-pointer in the quarter to score three of its three total points.
South Dakota State kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 58-28 advantage before Denver went on a 6-0 run to shrink the deficit to 58-34 with 8:31 to go in the contest. The Pioneers kept their comeback going, but South Dakota State managed to hold on for the 68-50 win. Denver took advantage of four South Dakota State turnovers in the quarter, scoring 10 points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» The Pioneers put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 61 percent of made field goals.
» The Denver bench made an impact by scoring 16 points to its scoring output.
» The Denver defense forced 14 turnovers.
» Denver cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Emma Smith led the Pioneers with 13 points.
» Denver got a game-high 11 rebounds from Makayla Minett.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
