In addition to the record crowd of 6,635 that gathered at Magness Arena on Sunday, it was shaping up to be a historic afternoon for the University of Denver women’s basketball team.
The Pioneers were beating No. 10 Duke in their season opener.
Big difference, however, between beating and defeating. The Blue Devils and All-America guard Abby Waner of Highlands Ranch were too good in the second half and triumphed 57-37 before the largest crowd in DU women’s history.
Behind six 3-pointers, DU led 27-25 at halftime and went ahead 29-25 on Alisha Godette’s layup early in the second half. The Pioneers were on track to beat a team that finished 32-2 last season, including 14-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Not so fast.
Duke (1-0) went into a full-court press and changed the momentum for good.
The Pioneers (0-1) committed numerous turnovers to help the Blue Devils go on a 19-0 run, a span where DU missed all 17 of its shots and Waner, who starred at ThunderRidge High, came alive.
After Waner’s two 3-pointers spearheaded Duke’s run, the Pioneers finally got their third point of the second half with 6:42 to play, when Nnenna Akotaobi made a free throw to trim Duke’s lead to 44-30.
Waner finished with a game-high 16 points, including 12 in the second half. Akotaobi paced DU with nine points and point guard Brooke Meyer, who opposed Waner in the 2004 Class 5A state championship game – in which ThunderRidge beat Cherry Creek 60-57 – contributed eight.
“We battled Duke really well, but the lid was on the basket for a couple possessions there and the press impacted us more because we couldn’t put any of those buckets down,” DU coach Pam Tanner said. “If we knocked some of those shots down, they would have to take the press off.”
Tanner and her players were not disappointed.
“Duke has prepared us for anything in our conference,” Meyer said. “We played with them in the whole first half. We just couldn’t get any shots in the second. We obviously need to work on breaking the press, and we know our shots will come.”
Waner, a junior, started for the first time at Duke beside her older sister, Emily, who transferred from Colorado after starring at ThunderRidge. Emily, a senior, played just nine minutes in her first start and made a 3-pointer late in the game for her only points.
Tim Waner, the girls’ father, played baseball at DU from 1969-72. He bought 400 tickets for Sunday’s game.
“DU did a great job and it was a great atmosphere,” Abby Waner said. “It’s really the people here that have shaped us into the players that we are, and gave us an opportunity to even go to a school like Duke.
“So to be able to come back here and share it with these people is what it’s really all about.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
DUKE (1-0)
Black 4-10 0-2 8, Gay 1-6 0-0 2, E. Waner 1-1 0-0 3, A. Waner 5-13 3-4 16, Smith 1-5 3-4 5, J. Thomas 3-8 0-0 7, Christmas 0-0 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-2 0-0 0, Cheek 4-4 3-5 11, Mitch 0-1 0-0 0, Jackson 1-2 0-0 3, K. Thomas 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 21-55 9-15 57.
DENVER (0-1)
Akotaobi 2-7 4-7 9, Benham 1-4 0-0 2, Meyer 2-11 2-3 8, Cole 2-7 1-3 6, Godette 2-7 0-0 4, Otero 1-1 0-0 3, Bri. Rice 0-2 0-0 0, Robinson 0-0 0-0 0, Mason 2-4 0-0 5, Leichliter 0-0 0-0 0, Bents 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 12-45 7-13 37.
Halftime – Denver 27-25. 3-point goals – Duke 6-18 (A. Waner 3-8, E. Waner 1-1, Jackson 1-1, J. Thomas 1-4, Mitch 0-1, Gay 0-1, Smith 0-2), Denver 6-23 (Meyer 2-7, Otero 1-1, Cole 1-3, Akotaobi 1-3, Mason 1-3, Benham 0-1, Bri. Rice 0-2, Godette 0-3). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – Duke 47 (Gay 12), Denver 27 (Akotaobi, Godette 5). Assists – Duke 13 (Mitch, Mitchell, Smith, A. Waner, E. Waner 2), Denver 6 (Benham 3). Total fouls – Duke 20, Denver 16. A – 6,635.
