by DENVER – The University of Denver men’s basketball used a hot hand from deep on the way to scoring a season high in points in a victory over South Dakota State, 91-82, Wednesday night at Magness Arena. The Pioneers improved to 13-8 (5-3 Summit League) with the win, while the Jackrabbits slipped to 9-14 (2-6 SL) on the year.
DU’s 91 points were the most since a victory against Belmont on Dec. 17, 2013.
Jake Pemberton was the star of the evening, turning in a career-best performance behind a career-high 25 points. The Highlands Ranch native was deadly from beyond the arc, going 5-for-7 while adding five rebounds and four assists.
Christian Mackey (Navajo) pulled down a career-best 11 rebounds off the bench, while dropping in eight points in 20 minutes of action.
Summit League Preseason Player of the Year Mike Daum led SDSU with a game-high 29 points but struggled to find his rhythm most of the game until a late surge in the second half.
Pemberton gave Denver the start it needed, knocking down three 3s to open the contest. The junior guard sparked the barrage from deep for the Pioneers, who made five of their first six shots from beyond the arc.
The offense kept firing on all cylinders as DU built an 11-point lead midway through the first half at 25-14 off additional perimeter scoring, extending the team shooting to 7-for-9 from deep.
Denver slowed in the following few minutes, scoring only two points while preventing the Jackrabbits from cutting into the lead with defensive stops.
A big finish for the Pioneers allowed for them to take a 13-point lead into the locker room, 44-31. DU finished with eight treys on 13 attempts in the opening 20 minutes of action.
Pemberton kept his career night going to start the second half, making his fifth 3 right out the gate for a new career high of 19.
South Dakota State narrowed the Denver lead to 11 off a layup from A.J. Hess at the 12:32 mark, forcing the Pioneers to take a timeout in an effort to slow the Jacks’ offensive rhythm.
A timely and-one from Joe Rosga with seven minutes remaining put DU up by 13 at the under-seven media timeout, giving the St. Paul, Minn. native 11 on the night.
Denver extended its lead to 15 after a Pemberton layup with just over five minutes remaining, but had to endure a furious SDSU run that narrowed the Pioneers’ lead to six at 85-79 with 68 seconds on the clock.
DU held on from there, making their last six free throws to end any comeback hopes for South Dakota State and secure the win.
Up Next
Denver heads out on the road for a quick two-game trip. First up, a meeting with South Dakota on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 2:15 p.m. MT.
