DENVER, CO --The Denver women's basketball team held Portland State to just 20 percent from beyond the arc in a 57-41 win against the Vikings, at home Saturday.
Jordan Jones led the Pioneers (4-4) with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Emma Smith tacked on nine points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals and Lily Esparza helped out with eight points, and career-high nine rebounds and three steals.
Esparza pulled down six offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Denver, grabbing 22 boards and turning them into 19 second chance points.
The Denver defense held Portland State shooters to just 32.7 percent from the field, including 20 percent from three-point range. The Pioneers also kept Kyleigh Brown to 4-of-14 shooting in the game.
How It Happened
After falling behind 4-2, Denver went on a 5-0 run with 8:05 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Smith, to take a 7-4 lead. The Pioneers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 13-12.
Denver fought back to tie the game at 17-17 before going on a 13-0 run, highlighted by a three from Mary Wilson, to take a 30-17 lead, a score that would hold until halftime. Denver was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots to account for nine of its 18 points.
Denver continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 9-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Alaisha Brown, to expand its lead further to 39-23 with 4:41 to go in the third. The Pioneers held onto that lead for the rest of the frame and entered the fourth quarter with a 43-27 edge. Denver took advantage of six Portland State turnovers in the quarter, scoring six points off of takeaways.
Denver kept its lead intact before going on an 8-0 run to grow the lead to 51-32 with 5:36 to go in the contest. The Vikings narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Pioneers still cruised the rest of the way for the 57-41 win. Denver took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 12 of its 14 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Pioneers held the Vikings to only 32.7 percent shooting from the field.
» Denver never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Denver had a great day defensively, holding Portland State to 20 percent from beyond the arc on 15 attempts.
» Denver had a 44-27 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Denver defense forced 16 turnovers.
» Denver cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 22 offensive boards in the game.
» Jordan Jones led the Pioneers with a game-high 23 points.
» Denver got a team-high 10 rebounds from Emma Smith.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
