SAINT PAUL, MN --The Denver women's basketball team fought back from a 50-48 deficit after the third quarter to take down the St. Thomas Tommies 67-61 on the road Saturday.
The Pioneers (7-17, 4-7) had three players score in double figures, led by Makayla Minett, who had 21 points and nine rebounds. Jordan Jones tacked on 21 points and eight rebounds and Emma Smith chipped in as well with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Minett pulled down four offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Denver, grabbing 11 boards and turning them into 11 second chance points.
Denver's defense held St. Thomas to only 35.6 percent shooting from the field, including 10.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Pioneers also limited Amber Scalia to 4-of-15 shooting in the game.
How It Happened
Denver started out the scoring by going on a 7-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Minett, to take an early lead with 8:10 left in the first quarter. St. Thomas then responded to tie things up at 18-18 heading into the second quarter. Denver did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 10 of its 18 points close to the basket.
St. Thomas then took a 28-22 lead before Denver responding by going on a 5-0 run to narrow its deficit to 28-27. St. Thomas responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Pioneers trailing 30-27 heading into halftime.
St. Thomas continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 46-38 advantage before Denver went on a 10-0 run to grab a 48-46 lead with 1:31 to go in the third. St. Thomas responded to seize a 50-48 lead entering the fourth quarter. Denver played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 21 points in the paint.
Denver narrowed its deficit to 57-56 before going on an 8-0 run to seize a 64-57 lead with 29 seconds 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 67-61 win. Denver took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 19 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Pioneers rallied from a two-point 50-48 third quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» The Pioneers held the Tommies to only 35.6 percent shooting from the field.
» Denver tallied 15 total assists in the game.
» Makayla Minett, Jordan Jones, and Emma Smith combined to account for 93 percent of the Pioneers points.
» Denver had a great day defensively, holding St. Thomas to 11 percent from three point land on 19 attempts.
» The Denver defense forced 17 turnovers.
» Denver cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» The Pioneers had three players score over 20 points in the contest. Makayla Minett led the way with 21 points, Jordan Jones had 21, and Emma Smith added 20.
» Denver got nine rebounds from both Makayla Minett and Emma Smith.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
