DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program will return home on Tuesday for the second-to-last home game in the month of December when the Pioneers welcome UCCS to Hamilton Gymnasium. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. MT, and the game will be broadcast on the Summit League Network and 104.3 The Fan HD3.

LAST TIME OUT:
Isaiah Addo-Ankrah buried seven triples to lead the Pios past Portland State in the final game of the Big Sky/Summit League Challenge on Saturday afternoon in Portland. RECAP 

SERIES HISTORY – DENVER VS. UCCS:
Tuesday marks the first regular season meeting between the two programs. The Pioneers hold a 21-3 lead in a series that ranged from the 1987-88 season to the 1997-98 campaign before Denver rejoined Division I the following year. 

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.

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 78th in the country in steals with 19 this season.

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 4-0 at home to start the 2024-25 season.
• In the fourth season under head coach Jeff Wulbrun, the Pioneers are 29-16 on their home floor.

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 13.1 points per game, while pulling in 4.6 boards and just under 2 assists per game.
• Shogbonyo has finished with 15+ points in six of the last eight games, and has grabbed at least four rebounds in eight of the last nine games.
• Shogbonyo is 11th in the country in free-throw percentage, shooting at a 95.5% clip (42-44).

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.

TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL

• The Pioneers finished 35th in the country in turnovers per game, averaging just 10.0 turnovers per contest.
• Denver's 1 total turnover on November 17, 2023 against South Alabama was the lowest in DU's DI history.
• The Pioneers finished with single-digit turnovers in 17 games last season, including committing just seven in the 2024 Summit League Final.
• In a 50 minute game on December 1 at Portland, Denver turned it over just six times, its first single digit turnover game this season.
• Denver had a season-low five turnovers in a one-point win at Portland State on Dec. 7, its third-straight game with 10 or less. 

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