DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program will close out its Big Sky/Summit League challenge slate on Saturday afternoon when the Pioneers head to Portland State. Opening tip is set for 3 p.m. MT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and ESPN Denver 1600.   

LAST TIME OUT:
Denver used a 17-0 run in the first half to pull away from Sacramento State in an 80-59 win to kickoff its Big Sky/Summit League Challenge slate on Wednesday night in Hamilton. RECAP

SERIES HISTORY – DENVER VS. PORTLAND STATE:

• Denver won the only previous meeting between the two programs by a count of 69-61 inside Magness Arena.
• 2011 senior guard Brian Stafford had a career-high 32 points, including six three-pointers, in the win.
• The game produced the fifth-highest basketball attendance of 6,420.

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.
• Sebastian Akins and DeAndre Craig combined for 40 of Denver's 80 points in its Big Sky/Summit League Challenge win over Sacramento State on December 4.
• The Pioneers had six players with at least seven points in that 21-point win.

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.
• Lee ranks second in the Summit League and 41st in the country in steals with 19 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 is currently second on Denver in scoring at 12.6 points per game, while pulling in 4.5 boards and 2 assists per game.
• Shogbonyo has finished with 15+ points in five of the last seven games, and has grabbed at least four rebounds in seven of the last eight games.
• Shogbonyo is fourth in the country in free-throw percentage, shooting at a 97.4% clip (37-38).

AKINS NCAA DEBUT

• Freshman guard Sebastian Akins put up 15 points off the bench in the Pios season debut at Stanford on November 4.
• Akins is the fifth Pio to post 15+ points off the bench in a season opener since Denver rejoined Division I in 1998-99.
• Akins is the first since Jase Townsend scored 16 off the bench as a freshman in November, 2018.
• Akins is the fourth freshman to post 15+ off the bench in an opener.
• Akins is the 3rd to do it against a DI opponent and the 2nd to do it against a Power5/4 opponent.
• Akins has 15+ points in four games this season, including a season-high 22 in the Pios 21-point win over Sacramento State on December 4.

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