DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program got the response it was looking for on Saturday, as five Pioneers finished in double figures en-route to a 94-77 win over St. Thomas in the first of two meetings between the two programs in the final month of the season.
The Pioneers (14-12, 5-6) had five players score in double figures, led by Jaxon Brenchley, who had 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Tommy Bruner tacked on 18 points and seven assists and DeAndre Craig chipped in as well with 14 points from the bench.
Denver out-rebounded St. Thomas 32-29 in Saturday's game, led by nine boards from Touko Tainamo. The Pioneers also had 18 assists compared to St. Thomas' seven.
NOTES (Unless noted – record book references are from the modern DI era (1999-00)
- Denver had five players finish in double figures for the 12th time under head coach Jeff Wulbrun, including the second time this season.
- Denver finished with 90+ points for the seventh time this season, the most in a single season in the program's modern DI history.
- The Pioneers reached 80+ points for the 16th game this season, the most in a season since the 1996-97 season. 16 80+ point games in a season is tied for the seventh-most in Denver's entire program history.
Jaxon Brenchley finished with 25 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists.
- Brenchley finished in double figures for the third-straight game, the 15th time this season and the 19th time in his career.
- Brenchley had 20+ points for the fourth time this season and of his career.
- Brenchley finished with 5+ assists for the third time this season and of his career. Saturday's assist total was a new career-high.
Touko Tainamo finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds.
- Tainamo became the 17th Denver player in the modern DI era to reach 1000 career points and the 44th Pio overall to reach the milestone.
- Tainamo finished in double figures for the second-straight game, the 21st time this season and the 50th time of his career.
Tommy Bruner finished with 18 points and 7 assists.
- Bruner finished in double figures for the 28th-straight game and the 98th time in his career.
- Bruner finished with 5+ assists for the second-straight game, the 13th time this season and the 41st time in his career.
DeAndre Craig finished with 14 points.
- Craig finished in double figures for the sixth time in his freshman season.
- Craig hit 3 three-pointers in the contest, a season-high.
Tyson Garff finished with 10 points.
- Garff finished in double figures for the second time in his career.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After jumping out to a 34-29 advantage, Denver went on an 8-0 run with 3:07 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Bruner, to increase its lead to 42-29. The Pioneers then maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 45-32 advantage. Denver relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 45 points.
Following intermission, Denver kept widening that lead, expanding it to 57-41 before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Tyson Garff's three, to grow the lead to 63-41 with 14:09 to go in the contest. The Tommies narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Pioneers still cruised the rest of the way for the 94-77 win. Denver got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 15 of its 49 total points.
UP NEXT:
Denver will continue its three-game homestand with the middle game of the stretch on Thursday night when the Pioneers welcome North Dakota to Hamilton Gymnasium. Tip is set for 7 p.m. MT on the Summit League Network and 104.3 The Fan HD3.
Denver Tickets:
Single game tickets are on sale now. Secure your seat today by clicking here.
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