DENVER -- The Denver Pioneers opened Summit League play with a 64-57 win over North Dakota on Thursday afternoon in Hamilton Gymnasium.
Coryn Watts led the Pioneer offense with 23 points while
Laia Monclova tacked on 10. Monclova led the Pioneers with seven rebounds while Watts,
Ana Conde and
Brooke Murrell each added five.
Tori Baker recorded seven steals against the Fighting Hawks, a new career high and tied for third most in a single game in program history.
Denver struggled out of the gate, missing its first six field-goal attempts before Monclova hit the Pioneers' first basket at 6:10 in the opening quarter. A late and one by Karolina Padilla pulled Denver within one, and Lily Esparza's jumper gave DU a 9–8 lead after one.
In the second quarter, the Pioneers held the Fighting Hawks scoreless for nearly four minutes. DU was scoreless to start the fram but Watts broke the scoring drought and pushed the lead to 17–12, and Monclova's 3-pointer with 2:44 remaining gave Denver its largest advantage to that point taking a 25–18 lead into halftime.
North Dakota came out strong in the third, cutting Denver's lead to two with a 5–0 run. But a 6–0 push keyed by a Watts steal and score pushed the margin back to nine at 36–27. Denver then endured a more than two-minute scoring lull before Tori Baker forced a turnover and Padilla converted in transition. A late three by North Dakota made it a three-point game, 45–42, heading to the fourth.
The Fighting Hawks took their first lead of the afternoon early in the final quarter after a Pioneers turnover, but Laila McLeod answered with a 3-pointer to put Denver back up 51–46. The teams traded buckets down the stretch, with Ana Conde's clutch basket extending the lead to 61–55 with two minutes left. Late free throws by Conde sealed the 64–57 win for the Pioneers.
UP NEXT: The Pioneers host North Dakota State on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. MT in Hamilton Gymnasium.
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