HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The Denver women's
basketball team used a strong second half and a dominating performance on the
glass to end ULM's season with a 69-57 victory in the opening round of the Sun
Belt Conference Tournament inside Summit Arena.
ULM, the top rebounding team in the Sun Belt,
was outrebounded 42-24 in the contest, compiled with Denver's 56.0 percent
shooting in the second half proved to be too much to overcome in the loss. The Pioneers
were able to pick apart the Warhawks' zone defense throughout the second period
to finish with 32 points in the paint.
Elizabeth Torres led ULM (10-19) with 16
points, including four 3-point field goals, to go along with four rebounds and three
assists. Sannisha Williams also scored in double-figures, 10 points. Jesse
Carrier tallied nine points, three assists, and four steals in the last game of
her career.
Denver (18-12) was led by Kaetlyn Murdoch who
recorded the games only double-double, 20 points and 15 rebounds. She also had four
assists and three blocks. Britteni Rice finished with 20 points, including two
3-pointers and an 8-for-8 performance at the charity stripe, while Emiko Smith concluded
the game with 11 points and six assists for Denver.
Larrie Williams knocked down a pair of
jumpers during a ULM 7-3 scoring run over a three-and-a-half minute stretch, as
it pulled ahead 20-12 in the opening half. Torres also drained a 3-pointer
during the run.
Denver responded with a 14-6 scoring run to
tie the game at 26 apiece, with Murdoch leading the charge scoring five
straight points, including a pair of layups.
ULM would take a 28-26 lead into the locker
room after Carrier knocked down a 12-foot jumper in the paint. At the
intermission, ULM held an 11-4 lead in points off turnovers after forcing 11
Denver errors.
Rice led all scorers at halftime with 10
points, including two triples. Murdoch tallied six points, seven rebounds, and
two blocks at the half for the Pioneers. Carrier led the Warhawks with seven
points, to go along with three assists.
Denver took a two-point deficit at the intermission
and turned it into a 44-30 lead, after Murdoch scored seven straight points and
Brianna Culbertson nailed a pair of jumpers with 14:46 remaining in the game.
The Pioneers slowly built their lead to as
many as 16 points in the second half, before the Warhawks made a quick 6-0 run
to cut the deficit to seven points with 1:20 remaining in the contest.
Priscilla Mbianjda drained three free throws during the short run.
Denver was able to hold of ULM in the final
stages of the game after sinking 7-of-8 free throws in the final 57 second of
the game. Overall, Denver held a 12-3 advantage in second chance scoring after
it grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.
Shannon Davis finished the last game of her ULM
career with three points and four rebounds.
Carrier finished her ULM career with 183 3-point
field goals, which ranks first all-time in program history. She also finished
fourth in 3-point percentage (35.8) and first in free throw percentage (92.1).
In addition, with today's contest she became the all-time leader in games
played.
Denver advances to the quarterfinals and will
play New Orleans on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. inside Summit Arena.
The Sun Belt Conference recognized its
student-athletes before the start of the contest with certificates of
achievement. Carrier, Kassie Courtney, and Kathryn Lonsberry were awarded the
Sun Belt Commisioner's Academic certificate (3.49-4.00 grade point average) for
their work in the classroom. Shannon Davis, Jordan Rawson, Torres, Nicole Tucker,
Ashley Wallis, and Larrie Williams were also awarded the Sun Belt academic
honor roll (3.00-3.49) certificate.
