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Denver
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Fast Start Sends Denver to 96-66 Win Against Visiting Cal Poly
11/17/2019 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DENVER — The Denver women's basketball team sprinted out to a 29-15 lead after the first quarter on Sunday afternoon at home, sending the Pioneers on their way to a 96-66 win over Cal Poly at Hamilton Gym.
Almost three minutes from the opening tip, Mustang forward Alicia Roufosse sank a mid-range jumper to give Cal Poly an early 8-4 lead, but Denver struck back with the next 13 points, taking a 17-8 lead on a Madison Nelson free throw with 3:18 to play in the quarter.
Denver — which advanced to the second round of the WNIT in 2019 — then scored the first eight points of the second quarter, using a 3 by Lauren Loven, a Nelson basket inside the paint and another Loven 3 to take a 37-15 lead 8:40 before halftime.
Loven, who made a Summit League-record 111 threes last year, was named to the preseason Ann Meyers Award Watch List. She finished with a game-high 24 points Sunday.
Cal Poly pulled within as close as 14 back, when senior small forward Jonni Smith scored on a layup to narrow the deficit to 43-29 with 2:34 remaining until the break, but DU (2-2) again responded, netting an 8-0 run to push the margin back to 22 (51-29), en route to a 51-32 advantage at intermission.
Returning to the floor, the Pioneers won the third quarter 24-13 to head to the fourth ahead 75-45. The fourth quarter, which saw Cal Poly shoot 7-for-15 including 2-for-4 from deep, was 21-all.
Mustang point guard Abbey Ellis shot 5-of-12 overall (2-for-4 from 3-point range), plus 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, on the way to a 19-point effort. It was the second-consecutive double-figures scoring performance for Ellis, a true freshman from Yallambie, Australia.
Cal Poly junior wing Hannah Peterson, two games removed from her career-best rebounding day, added a 4-for-6 afternoon, scoring nine points.
The Mustangs return home to host Sacramento State at 11 a.m. Wednesday. It's also Field Trip Day on Nov. 20 in Mott Athletics Center against the Hornets.
File Photo © David E. Holmes
