DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program and Northern Colorado went back and forth and toe to toe on Saturday afternoon, but the visiting Bears pulled out an 82-75 win inside Hamilton Gymnasium.

The Pioneers (6-9) had four players score in double figures, led by Nicholas Shogbonyo, who had 21 points. Josh Lee added 14 points and DeAndre Craig and Sebastian Akins helped out with 12 points.

Denver's offense was very productive from deep, knocking down 12 threes on 20 attempts. Craig was the most prolific shooter for the Pioneers, draining four treys in the contest.

NOTES:

• Denver finished 12-for-20 from beyond the arc.
• The Pioneers knocked down double digit triples for the second-straight game, the third time in the last four games and the sixth time this season.
• Denver shot 60% from beyond the arc for the first time since December 1, 2022 at Houston Christian.
• Saturday's crowd of 1148 is Denver's biggest since January 27, 2024 vs. Omaha.
• Nicholas Shogbonyo finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
• Shogbonyo finished in double figures for the fifth-straight game and the 11^th time in his first season with the Pios.
• Shogbonyo had 15+ points in 10 of the last 12 games.
• Shogbonyo had 20+ points for the fourth time this season, and the third time in Denver's last four games.
• Shogbonyo has at least four rebounds in 12 of the last 13 games.
• DeAndre Craig finished with 12 points, and 2 assists.
• Craig finished in double figures for the seventh-straight game, the 11^th time this season and the 22^nd time in his career.
• Josh Lee finished with 14 points and 5 assists.
• Lee finished in double figures for the fourth time this season and of his career.
• Sebastian Akins made his first career start on Saturday afternoon.
• Akins finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
• Akins finished in double figures for the second-straight game and for the 10^th time in his freshman season.
• Isaiah Addo-Ankrah played in his 100^th NCAA contest on Saturday, a career that included three seasons at UTSA and now two with the Pioneers.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
After falling behind 31-30, Denver went on a 10-0 run with 3:14 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Deandre Craig, to take a 40-31 lead. The Pioneers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 42-36 advantage. Denver relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down eight shots to account for 24 of its 42 points.

Northern Colorado opened the half on a 9-2 run to erase its halftime deficit and force a Denver timeout. The two teams traded punches down the stretch, but it was the Bears that hit the bigger shots late to earn the final win before the holiday break.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

UP NEXT:
Denver will have the rest of the calendar year off before opening Summit League play on January 2 with a trip to South Dakota State in a rematch of last season's Summit League Men's Basketball Championship game. The game will tip at 8 p.m. CT/7 p.m. MT, and be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network and 104.3 the Fan HD3.

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