After falling short to Utah State 92-89 in double overtime on Thursday, the women’s basketball team came back on Saturday to beat San Jose State 83-68 and give its only senior, Emiko Smith, a win for her last home game.
“I wanted that win on Thursday for the kids, but I was not sad over that loss just because of how we played and the toughness that we showed,” said head coach Kerry Cremeans. “The culture changed right before our eyes, with just the offensive tenacity they played with as well as defensively, so I was very proud of the effort, the heart and the fight that they showed in that game.”
Freshman Kailey Edwards scored a career-high 31 points against Utah State on Thursday and sophomore Morgan Van Riper-Rose added 25 points. By halftime, the Pioneers were up six points, leading 38-32.
The team ended the second half tied at 74 points and then tied at 83 points in the first overtime. In the final seconds of the second overtime, the Aggies sank a three-pointer to take the game.
“We’re getting better; that was the message we got from our coach, and though we lost on Thursday, we definitely know we got better as a team and then came back,” said Smith.
On Saturday’s senior day against San Jose State, the Pioneers came back to earn that win, raising their record to 12-14 overall and 7-8 in the Western Athletic Conference. Van Riper-Rose and Edwards led the team in scoring again, with 18 and 16 points, respectively.
The Pioneers ended the first half with a 45-27 lead but saw a comeback from San Jose State in the second half when they went on a 27-9 scoring spree. With roughly 11 minutes left, Denver was able to tie the game at 54 points.
“We played a phenomenal first half, and it started off slow in the second half, but we had players that came up off the bench and that were just huge for us,” said Cremeans. “Paige Bradley, Theresa Wirth and Alison Janecek came in and were big sparks for us off the bench and really got us going back offensively, and then we were able to pull it out.”
After tying the contest, the Pioneers shot to a 23-5 run to end the game with a win. Janecek added 11 points for the team, and Bradley added eight. The Pioneers ended the game shooting at 52.3 percent.
“I think the biggest thing is not to panic in those pressure situations,” said Cremeans. “Obviously you feel the shift, but it’s just a matter of getting defensive stops, and that’s what we focused on during that time.”
The team’s only senior, Smith, tallied eight points, five rebounds and 12 assists. She was one assist short of tying the DU single-game record as well as her career high. She finished the game to a standing ovation from the crowd.
“It was emotional; I tried not to cry, but I couldn’t help it,” said Smith. “It’s just been an amazing four years, just all the success and the people I’ve met, it’s been truly amazing and there’s no other place I’d rather do it than DU.”
With this last game at home, the team has 11 days before beginning a three-game road streak to end the regular season. The next game is against New Mexico State this coming Saturday.
“We have a big break right now, and then we end the season with three road games, and obviously every game is important with us being right in the middle of the pack in the conference,” said Cremeans. “We’re fighting for a bye going into the conference tournament, but we’ll take it one game at a time.”
New Mexico State’s record is 5-10 in the WAC and 11-14 overall. They recently won against Utah State on a record-breaking night for them. They recorded the ninth-most points in New Mexico State history in a 106-94 win.
Sophomore Danesia Williamson scored her second double-double in one week for New Mexico State and recorded a career high of 23 points.
For the past two games, New Mexico State has had five players score in double digits. In their most recent game, they shot 42.7 percent in field goals and 39.4 percent from the three-point line.
As the Pioneers prepare for their next game, they are focused on finishing their season with three wins on the road, according to Smith and Cremeans.
“We’re getting better and we’re peaking at the right time; we’re looking to carry this momentum to our next three road games and then into Vegas, so we’re really excited,” said Smith.
