There wasn’t a major complaint from the University of Denver side of things Friday night after the Pioneers opened their Summit League campaign with an impressive 76-69 victory over South Dakota State at Magness Arena.
As usual, the Pioneers banked on their 3-point shooting to gain the early advantage and then secured the victory by hitting seven free throws in the last minute to hold the lead and register a fast start in league play. They continue league action at 1 p.m. Sunday against South Dakota on their home court.
While shooting 54.3 percent from the field, including an 11-for-20 performance from 3-point range, four Pioneers finished in double figures in scoring, led by Brett Olson’s 17 points. Eight Pioneers scored points as they never trailed in the game, although the Jackrabbits gained a tie at 18 midway through the first half. But Denver went on to take a 39-28 lead at halftime.
“We played really well,” DU coach Joe Scott said. “We executed our game plan. Our defense was good, and we rebounded well. At the end, we kept our composure. We had different players help us at times during the game.”
The Pioneers took a 69-59 lead into the last 1:29 and then had to count on free throws by Duke Douglas, Bryant Rucker, Nate Engesser and Jalen Love to hold off South Dakota State’s closing rally. Guard George Marshall hit two 3-pointers and a free throw in the final minute to spark the last-ditch rally.
The foul discrepancy was a factor, with South Dakota State hitting 22-of-32 free- throw attempts, while the Pioneers finished 15-of-21, most of them in the final stretch of the game.
“We’ve focused on hitting free throws, especially when we need them,” Love said. “We weren’t playing good defense. We were out there hacking and not in good position to play defense.”
South Dakota State coach Scott Nagy said his team didn’t play with passion in the first half or it could have been a different game.
“There is no excuse for our sluggishness,” Nagy said. “We missed 10 free throws. If we make half of those, it’s a different game.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com or
