In a game of keep-away by the Denver Pioneers, the high-scoring Iona Gaels got the advantage just in time to wrest away an overtime victory Wednesday night at Magness Arena.
It came down to a shot made from the top of the key by Iona senior Randy Dezouvre with four seconds left in the extra period, sending DU to an 80-78 defeat in a wild finish.
The Pioneers led most of the way but failed to score in the final 3:51 of regulation time after Chris Udofia’s dunk gave them a 74-67 lead.
The Gaels scored seven points to send the game to overtime.
A follow shot by Iona’s Mike Glover’s with 4:07 left in overtime gave the Gales their first lead of the game, 76-74.
“We did a really good job for 37 minutes,” DU coach Joe Scott said. “Give (the Gaels) credit. They played that pressure defense all the way. They didn’t go away, and that’s what makes them a good team.”
The Pioneers ended up with 20 turnovers, 13 after halftime.
“We had some crucial turnovers that definitely hurt us,” freshman guard Brett Olson said after scoring a career-high 20 points, including making 4-of-5 3-point shots.
Olson’s layup and then, with 19 seconds left in overtime, two free throws by Udofia tied the game at 78-78.
Udofia finished with 18 points, five rebounds, five blocks and four assists.
The Gaels entered the game as the nation’s highest-scoring team, averaging 92 points.
“We probably didn’t deserve to win the game,” Iona coach Tim Cluess said. “DU outplayed us most of the way, but sometimes you have to get lucky.”
Cluess said his team’s pressure defense wore down the Pioneers at the end.
With guards Lamont Jones and Scott Machado leading a relentless charge, Iona started back from a 54-42 deficit with 15:44 left and tied the score at 74 on Mike Glover’s two free throws with 1:13 left in regulation.
A 19-8 run by the Pioneers down the stretch of the first half provided the only real advantage of the first 20 minutes. Two 3-pointers before intermission by Royce O’Neale and Chase Hallam staked the Pioneers to a 43-32 halftime lead.
IONA (7-1)
Ridley 2-4 0-0 4, Glover 5-7 3-4 13, Jones 8-15 3-3 21, Machado 7-15 3-3 19, Smyth 3-6 1-1 9, James 0-0 0-0 0, Jenkins 1-5 0-0 3, Fields 0-0 0-0 0, Armand 1-2 0-0 3, Dezouvre 3-4 2-2 8, Moikubo 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-58 12-13 80.
DENVER (6-2)
Lewis 2-5 0-0 4, Udofia 6-11 6-6 18, Stafford 4-8 0-0 10, Olson 7-9 2-2 20, C. Hallam 5-8 0-2 11, Coughlin 0-0 0-0 0, Foeman 3-3 1-3 8, T. Hallam 0-0 2-2 2, O’Neale 2-5 0-0 5. Totals 29-49 11-15 78.
Halftime — DU 43-32. End of regulation — Tied 74. 3-point goals — Iona 8-20 (Machado 2-3, Smyth 2-5, Jones 2-7, Armand 1-2, Jenkins 1-3), DU 9-20 (Olson 4-5, Stafford 2-5, Foeman 1-1, C. Hallam 1-3, O’Neale 1-4, Udofia 0-2). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Iona 27 (Machado 7), Denver 21 (O’Neale, Udofia 5). Assists — Iona 11 (Machado 6), DU 19 (Stafford 5). Total fouls — Iona 17, DU 16. Technical foul — Glover. A — 5,886.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
