There weren’t many, but the three seniors making their last appearance Saturday at Magness Arena made it count for the Denver Pioneers.
Marcus Byrd, Bryant Rucker and Nate Engesser made their mark one last time in the regular season and they triggered a strong second half that led to a 70-59 victory over North Dakota State.
Now, the Pioneers (15-14, 7-9 Summit League) take a winning record into the league tournament, which starts next weekend in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Pioneers face Omaha (18-12, 10-6) on Sunday night in their first tournament game.
“We were young and starting three freshmen at the start of the year,” DU coach Joe Scott said. “What we’ve accomplished showed up today, but it’s been showing up the last month. We’re playing well and we’ve got a game next Sunday.”
The Pioneers could use their regular season’s finale as a catalyst for the tournament. They lost 75-49 at North Dakota State early in the season. But they were not to be denied this time.
Byrd, who had only three points at halftime, got the Pioneers going in the second half, driving into the lane and hitting a short jumper. It gave the Pioneers their first lead of the second half at 38-37 with 15 minutes left.
Rucker hit two free throws 1:36 later, and the lead grew to 41-37.
But North Dakota State (18-12, 8-8), triggered by 20 points from guard Kory Brown, battled back and led 49-48 going into the last seven minutes.
Engesser stepped up with a layup for a 50-49 lead with 6:51 left, and the Pioneers led the rest of the way. With baskets from freshmen C.J. Bobbitt and Joe Rosga, Engesser again and Byrd’s 3-pointer, the Pioneers went on a 9-2 run and pulled away.
Bobbitt led the Pioneers with 16 points, and Byrd and Rosga finished with 14 each.
“We just kept fighting and continued to play tough defense,” Bobbitt said. “We knew we were getting open shots. All we needed was to tie it all together. It’s a good way to go into the tournament.”
Byrd explained his slow start. “Other players were getting decent shots,” he said. “I let the game come to me. I knew my time would come. It definitely is nice getting a win on senior day.
Irv Moss: imoss@denverpost.com @irvmoss
