MORAGA, CA -- Jordan Jones, Emma Smith and Emily Counsel combined for 50 of Denver's 64 total points, but the Pioneers fell to the Saint Mary's (CA) Gaels, 69-64, on the road Saturday.
The Pioneers (0-2) had three players score in double figures, led by Jones, who had 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Smith tacked on 19 points and three steals and Counsel helped out with 12 points, four assists and four steals.
The Denver offense made hay from beyond the arc, making eight threes on 32 attempts. Smith hit four treys for the Pioneers in the contest.
Denver forced 23 Saint Mary's (CA) turnovers while committing 15 themselves in Saturday's game. The Pioneers turned those takeaways into 20 points on the offensive end of the floor. Counsel's four steals led the way for Denver.
How It Happened
Denver started out the scoring by going on a 5-0 run to take an early lead with 9:01 left in the first quarter. The Pioneers then added four points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with an 18-9 advantage. Denver relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 18 points.
The Pioneers surrendered their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime with the score tied 35-35. Denver was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots to account for nine of its 17 points.
After intermission, Saint Mary's (CA) snatched a 47-35 lead before Denver answered back by going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Jones, to trim its deficit to 47-41 with 1:11 to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Denver took advantage of 10 Saint Mary's (CA) turnovers in the quarter, scoring four points off of takeaways.
Saint Mary's (CA) kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 49-41 advantage before Denver went on an 8-0 run, finished off by Smith's three, to even the score at 49 all with 8:14 to go in the contest. The Pioneers could not turn their rally into a victory, as the Gaels outscored them 20-15 the rest of the way to hand Denver the 69-64 loss. Denver took advantage of seven Saint Mary's (CA) turnovers in the quarter, scoring eight points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» Jordan Jones, Emma Smith, and Emily Counsel combined to account for 78 percent of the Pioneers points.
» The Denver defense forced 23 turnovers.
» Jordan Jones and Emma Smith led the Pioneers with a game-high 19 points each.
» Denver got a team-high six rebounds from Jordan Jones.
» The Pioneers went 14-15 from the free throw line.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
