HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Nate Rohnert scored 16 points, and Denver made 10 of its first 11 field goals in the second half of a 73-58 victory over Middle Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament Sunday night.
The sixth-seeded Pioneers (19-12) used an 11-0 run to break a 27-27 tie early in the second half. Denver went 12-of-17 from the field after halftime, shooting so well that the third-seeded Blue Raiders (19-13) weren’t credited with a second-half rebound until there was about six minutes left.
Denver’s Chase Hallam had 13 points and six rebounds and didn’t miss a shot, going 3-of-3 from the field — all 3-pointers — and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Calvin O’Neil led Middle Tennessee with 14 points.
The win was a rare one for Denver away from home. The Pioneers were 15-1 at home this season. Denver plays North Texas in the semifinals tonight.
Middle Tennessee’s largest lead was five points in the first half, but it was 25-25 at halftime. The Blue Raiders didn’t make a 3-pointer until Desmond Yates’ shot with about 14 minutes left in the game. That did little to slow Denver’s second-half surge.
The Pioneers went on another run — this one 15-0 — soon afterward. With about 11 minutes to go, Rohnert received a give-and-go pass from Rob Lewis and made a sprawling layup, despite being undercut, to put Denver ahead 43-32. The Pioneers eventually led by as many as 21.
