DENVER – The University of Denver men's basketball program returns to the road after Thursday night's dramatic 69-68 win over Kansas City when the Pioneers make the trip to Omaha. Opening tip on Saturday night is set for 6 p.m. MT.

Saturday's game will be streamed live on the Summit League Network and on 104.3 The Fan HD3.

LAST TIME OUT:
With the Pioneers trailing 68-65 with under 10 seconds to play, Craig missed a straight-away triple that would have tied the game, but got his own rebound and was fouled on the rebound with 2.8 seconds to play. Craig made the first free-throw and then following Jeff Wulbrun's last timeout, missed the second free-throw intentionally, got his own rebound again and put it back with his left hand, while drawing contact to tie the game and earn a trip back to the free-throw line with 2.4 to play. Craig made the free-throw, and Kansas City missed its attempt at a game winner to earn Denver back-to-back late-game Summit League victories. FULL RECAP 

SERIES HISTORY:
Omaha holds a 14-12 edge in the Division I series and is 7-3 on their home floor against the Pioneers. On January 15, the Mavs earned an 80-62 win inside Hamilton Gymnasium. FULL SERIES 

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, four different players finished in double figures, including a game-high 16 from sophomore DeAndre Craig.

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 124th in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 49.3% from the field.

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 13.6 points per game, while pulling in 4.5 boards (1st among active players) and just under 2 assists per game.
• Shogbonyo has had 15+ points in 13 games.
• Shogbonyo is 72nd in the country and fourth 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 15 games.

AKINS DEBUT SEASON

• Akins enters the game with 279 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 home for a pair of games next weekend starting with a Thursday night date with South Dakota. 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.

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

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