DENVER’S HOT SHOT TOO MUCH IN MEN’S BASKETBALL ROAD LOSS

DENVER, Colo. – Denver seemingly couldn’t miss the goal, jumping out to a big first-half lead en route to an 80-59 victory over Sacramento State on Wednesday at Hamilton Gymnasium.

Denver made 13 of its first 16 shots from the field (7 of 9 3FG) en route to a 35-11 lead. During the spurt, five Pioneer players converted 3-balls and Denver used a 17-0 run to take a 24-point lead. Denver could do no wrong as it didn’t commit a turnover until the 7:22 mark of the first half.

The Pioneers later extended their lead to 26 points (38-12) before the Hornets began to erase the deficit. Sacramento State would eventually cut Denver’s lead by 10 points, entering halftime trailing 47-31.

However, Denver opened the second half with an 11-4 run and stayed quiet the rest of the way. The Pioneers led by at least 19 points in the final 16:05 minutes of the contest. Tonight was the first time all season that Sacramento State lost by more than 10 points.

Denver remained undefeated at home (4-0) and improved to 4-6 overall. Sacramento State lost 6-2 in a stretch in which the team played five of its first eight games on the road. The Hornets had won two straight in the all-time series, and the Pioneers beat Sacramento State for the first time since 2016. In each of the Hornets’ last two wins over Denver, they had a lead of four points or less.

Denver shot 51% (28-55) from the field and 41% (14-34) from the 3-point line. Before tonight, the Hornets had not allowed more than 10 3-pointers to any opponent all season. Sacramento State finished the game shooting 40% (21-53) from the field and 21% (4-19) from the 3-point line. The Hornets committed just nine turnovers and scored 15 points on Denver errors. Sacramento State also managed a 34-18 lead in the paint, but Denver’s prowess at the 3-point line was too great to overcome.

Senior striker Jacob Holt led the Hornets in scoring for the fifth time, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds. Both were game highlights. Holt has now scored more than 20 points in three of his last five games and improved his season average to 15.9 ppg. No other Hornet averages more than 11.4 ppg.

EJ Neal also in double figures with 12 points and five rebounds. It was Neal’s fifth double-digit win this season. Emil Skytta had a season high of nine points, Deonte Williams six points and three rebounds, and Bailey Nunn five points, three rebounds and a pair of steals. Lachlan Brewer sank another 3-pointer and is now shooting 58% (11-19) from distance.

Today’s game was part of the second annual Big Sky Summit Challenge. The tournament pits each Big Sky Conference team against a Summit League opponent on Wednesday and Saturday of this week. Each team plays one game at home and one away. As part of the event, the Hornets host Omaha on Saturday at 1 p.m.