DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program will play its final game before the holiday break on Saturday when the Pioneers welcome in-state neighbors Northern Colorado. Opening tip is set for 3 p.m. MT, and is the second game of an Altitude TV double header that includes a DU women's game against North Alabama that is slated to begin at 12 p.m. MT.    

LAST TIME OUT:
Denver dropped its second overtime game on the road this season, a 95-94 loss at Cal Poly on Tuesday night. FULL RECAP

SERIES HISTORY – DENVER VS. NORTHERN COLORADO:
Denver holds a 10-9 edge in the series since Denver joined Division I in the 1998-99 season. Northern Colorado has won each of the last five meetings. The Pioneers are 6-3 at home against the Bears. Dating back to the first ever meeting in 1906, the Pioneers have a 77-44 edge in the all-time series. FULL DI HISTORY 

THREE 20+ POINT SCORERS AT CAL POLY

• Denver had 3 20+ point scorers in an overtime loss at Cal Poly on December 17.
• Nicholas Shogbonyo finished with 22, DeAndre Craig also had 22 and Sebastian Akins finished with 21.
• Denver had three 20+ point scorers for the first time since December 20, 2021 in an 84-80 loss to Western Illinois (KJ Hunt 22, Touko Tainamo 21, Jordan Johnson 21)
• Denver had three 20+ point scorers in a road game for the first time since February 13, 2016 at Purdue Fort Wayne in an 88-84 loss (Marcus Byrd 28, Nate Engesser 24, Thomas Neff 21).
• Shogbonyo has three 20+ point games this season.
• Akins has three 20+ point games in his freshman season.
• Craig has one 20+ point game in his two-year DU career.
• Isaiah Addo-Ankrah has two career 20+ point games.  
• Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente has one 20+ point game in his career. 

DEFENDING THE HOME FLOOR

• Since turning Division I in 1998-99, the Pioneers are 47-32 in Hamilton Gymnasium.
• Denver has played in Hamilton full-time since the 2020-21 campaign.
• 2023-24 marked the first double-digit win season in Hamilton (10-4).
• Denver is 5-0 at home to start the 2024-25 season.
• In the fourth season under head coach Jeff Wulbrun, the Pioneers are 30-16 on their home floor.

ADDO-ANKRAH DIALING LONG DISTANCE

• Three-point sharp-shooter Isaiah Addo-Ankrah leads the Pioneers with 35 made triples on 77 attempts, good for 45.5% from beyond the arc.
• Addo-Ankrah is 33rd in the country and leads the Summit League in three-point percentage (45.5).
• Addo-Ankrah is 27th in the country and second in the Summit League in threes made with 35.

MILESTONE APPEARANCES

• Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente made his 100th career appearance in his four year career at Denver in the Pioneers game at Cal Poly on December 17.
• Isaiah Addo-Ankrah's next appearance will be his 100th game played in  a career that included three years at UTSA and now two as a Pio.

SPREADING THE SCORING

• Denver had six players score in double figures and no one score more than 15 in Denver's 97-80 win over Western Colorado on Nov. 8.
• DeAndre Craig led the Pios with 15, Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente scored 13, Sebastian Akins added 12 and Nicholas Shogbonyo, Isaiah Carr and Josh Lee all finished with 10.
• It was the first time Denver had 6 players in double figures since December 15, 2012 against Omaha.
• 12 years ago - Royce O'Neale had 17, Chase Hallam had 12, Chris Udofia scored 11, Brett Olson and Nate Engesser chipped in 11 and Cam Griffin scored 10.
• Isaiah Addo-Ankrah and Nicholas Shogbonyo combined for 40 of Denver's 68 points in its Big Sky/Summit League Challenge win at Portland State on December 7.
• The Pioneers had six players with at least seven points in that 21-point win over Sacramento State in the first game of the challenge on December 4.
• DU also had six players with at least seven points in a 94-87 win over UCCS on December 10.

LEGAL THEFT

• Denver recorded 13 steals in a win over Western Colorado on Nov. 8, the program's most since February 26, 2020 at Fort Wayne.
• Sebastian Akins and Nicholas Shogbonyo had 3 apiece to lead a group of five Pios with multiple steals.
• Josh Lee had five steals in the Pios loss to Utah Tech on Nov. 26, the first Pio with 5+ steals since Justin Mullins (6) in Feb., 2023.
• Denver had 14 steals in an OT loss to Cal Poly on December 17, its first game against a DI opponent with double digit steals this season.
• Lee ranks second in the Summit League and 65th in the country in steals with 22 this season.

SHOGBONYO HEATING UP

• Junior guard Nicholas Shogbonyo is in his first year of NCAA hoops after transfering from McLennan CC in the offseason.
• In 2023-24, Shogbonyo was the NTJCAC Co-Player of the Year and was an All-Region selection.
• He leads Denver in scoring at 14.6 points per game, while pulling in 4.9 boards and 2 assists per game.
• Shogbonyo has had 15+ points in nine of the last 11 games, and has grabbed at least four rebounds in 11 of the last 12 games.
• Shogbonyo is second in the Summit League and 55th in the country in free-throw percentage, shooting at a 89.2% clip (66-74).
• Shogbonyo is sixth in the country in free-throw makes with 66. 

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