FARGO, ND -- Jordan Jones totaled 23 points, but the Denver women's basketball team fell to the North Dakota State Bison, 69-59, on the road Thursday night.

Jones led the Pioneers (7-9, 0-3) with 23 points and five assists. Emma Smith also added nine points and two steals and Alaisha Brown chipped in as well with seven points.

The Denver defense was a problem in Thursday's game, forcing 17 North Dakota State turnovers while committing 16. Those takeaways turned into 18 points on the offensive end of the floor. Smith's two steals led the way individually for the Pioneers.

How It Happened

After falling behind 12-2, Denver went on a 7-0 run with 5:26 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Jones, to narrow its deficit to 12-9. North Dakota State answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Pioneers down 18-10 entering the second quarter.

The Pioneers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 45-22 halftime deficit.

After intermission, Denver cut its deficit to 46-24 before going on an 8-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Jones, to trim its deficit to 46-32 with 6:43 to go in the third. North Dakota State countered and stretched its lead to 58-40 heading into the fourth. Denver took advantage of four North Dakota State turnovers in the quarter, scoring six points off of takeaways.

North Dakota State kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 62-41 advantage before Denver went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Brown's layup, to shrink the deficit to 62-47 with 7:19 to go in the contest. The Pioneers kept their comeback going, but North Dakota State managed to hold on for the 69-59 win. Denver took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 12 of its 19 points in the paint.

Game Notes

» The Denver defense forced 17 turnovers.
» Jordan Jones led the Pioneers with a game-high 23 points.
» Denver got a team-high four rebounds from Laia Monclova.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.