DENVER—The Denver Pioneers only won once in their first seven games and Kyle Lewis found himself struggling.
“I was having a rough time at the start of the year,” Lewis said. “Shots weren’t going in for me and I was a little slow on defense.”
Much of that has changed for him and Denver over the last five games.
Lewis scored 13 points as Denver won its fifth straight, beating UC Riverside 52-46 Sunday.
“Guys had to pick me up,” added Lewis, who was 2-for-3 on 3-pointers. “Today was a good day for me, I played well and we got a big win.”
Andrew Hooper added 11 points for Denver (6-6). The winning streak is Denver’s longest since 2006.
Denver coach Joe Scott said the team’s defense has gotten better and they’re taking care of the basketball.
“There are signs of our guys getting confident and comfortable with what we do and we are 6-1 in our last seven,” he said.
Kyle Austin led UC Riverside (7-4) with 19 points. The Highlanders missed their first five shots to start the game and didn’t have a field goal until Brandon Dowdy’s 3-pointer with 13:20 left in the first half.
“We had two seniors and a junior out there that had been in the program for a couple of years,” UC Riverside coach Jim Wooldridge said. “We knew we’d need help early on the road against that kind of defense and we just didn’t get it.”
The Highlanders also hurt themselves shooting 39 percent from the field as they lost consecutive games for the first time this year.
Justin Coughlin’s 15-foot shot put Denver ahead 10-2 while the Highlanders missed their first five shots from the field to start the game.
“I think that start really had a lot to do with us losing the ballgame,” Wooldridge said. “It was an uphill battle the whole way.”
Brandon Dowdy broke the drought by sinking a 3-pointer with 13:20 left in the first half.
Javon Borum’s layup tied the game at 17 for UC, but Denver buried three straight 3-pointers to get the Pioneers back up 26-17. Denver led 32-22, shooting 56 percent in the first half.
UC Riverside appeared to make the necessary adjustments in the second half. Christian Soto’s jumps shot got the Highlanders within 38-35.
Denver regained the momentum and when Nate Rohert and Andrew Hooper hit two free throws apiece, the Pioneers had a more comfortable 43-35 lead with 6:23 remaining.
“They showed in the second half why they were a 7-3 team coming into the game,” Scott said.
Austin’s off balance jumper got the Highlanders to within 44-42 with 3:06 remaining. Travis Hallam answered for Denver with a 3-pointer to make it 47-42.
“We were reminded that every possession was critical,” Austin said. “We had a chance to get closer after Borum made two free throws, but then we turned the ball over.
Two free throws by Borum with 2:07 made it a 47-44 game and the Highlanders made a defensive start only to throw the ball away when they got the ball back. Rob Lewis sealed the game with a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left.
