DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program welcomes Kansas City to Hamilton Gymnasium on Thursday for the final game in the first half of Summit League regular season play for both teams. Opening tip is at 7 p.m. MT, and the game will be broadcast on Altitude, the Summit League Network and 104.3 the Fan HD3.

Thursday's contest is also Denver's Coaches vs. Cancer night, and its Faculty, Staff and Retiree Appreciation Night.

LAST TIME OUT:
Denver picked up its first win in Summit League play last Thursday night when the Pioneers got a late dunk from freshman center Abdulai Fanta Kabba to earn a 70-68 win over Oral Roberts in Tulsa. The win broke Denver's nine-game losing streak and provided the program's second road win of the season. FULL RECAP 

SERIES HISTORY:
Kansas City leads the Division I series 7-5 and the overall series that dates back to 1988-89 by a count of 9-5. The Pioneers used an Isaiah Addo-Ankrah triple and a Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente block at the buzzer to earn a 61-60 win over the Roos in the 2024 Summit League Quarterfinal. Denver holds a 3-2 lead in the series in home games, including a triple overtime win in December, 2022. FULL DI HISTORY 

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.
• DU also had six players with at least seven points in a 94-87 win over UCCS on December 10.
• Last time out, five different players had at least nine points in Denver's win over Oral Roberts on January 23 in Tulsa.

CRAIG NAMED TO PRESEASON SECOND TEAM

• Sophomore guard DeAndre Craig was named to the Preseason All-Summit League Second Team ahead of Media Day on October 8.
• Craig and South Dakota State sophomore guard Kalen Garry are the only two underclassmen across the two preseason teams.
• Craig played in all 34 games in his freshman campaign, averaging 6.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game, while adding 85 assists against just 40 turnovers to go with 35 steals.
• In Denver's three Summit League Tournament games last year, Craig finished with 13 points in the quarterfinal win, 15 and 5 assists in the semifinal victory and 12 and 7 helpers in the championship game against South Dakota State.
• Craig, along with teammate Isaiah Carr, represented the program at the 2024 Summit League Basketball Media Day in Sioux Falls.
• After missing three-straight games with an injury, Craig returned to the lineup on January 18 at St. Thomas.
• Craig ranks third in the Summit League and 119th in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 49.7% from the field.

DEFENDING THE HOME FLOOR

• Since turning Division I in 1998-99, the Pioneers are 47-36 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 5-4 at home to start the 2024-25 season.
• In the fourth season under head coach Jeff Wulbrun, the Pioneers are 30-20 on their home floor.

SHOGBONYO LEADING THE PIOS IN YEAR 1

• 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.
• Leads DU in scoring at 14.1 points per game, while pulling in 4.6 boards (2nd among active players) and just under 2 assists per game.
• Shogbonyo has had 15+ points in 13 of the last 19 games, and has grabbed at least four rebounds in 15 of the last 20 games.
• Shogbonyo is 49th in the country and third in the Summit League in free-throw makes with 93.
• Shogbonyo recorded his first career double-double (13-12rbs) at South Dakota on January 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 has turned it over 10 or less times in nine of the last 14 games.

AKINS DEBUT SEASON

• Sebastian Akins enters the game with 272 points, the 12th most by a Pioneer in their true freshman season in DU's DI history.
• Akins has 15+ points in seven games this season, including three 20+ point games.
• Akins had the game-winning assist to Abdulai Fanta Kabba in Denver's 70-68 win at ORU on January 23.

UP NEXT:
Denver returns to the road on Saturday for its second meeting with Omaha in the last two and a half weeks. Saturday's game tips at 6 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on the Summit League Network and ESPN Denver 1600.

TICKETS:
Get tickets for the 2024-25 season by clicking here.

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