While many DU students were taking finals or were on spring break, a number of Pioneer athletes remained in full swing, competing in conference tournaments, conference championships and national tournaments. Following is a breakdown of some of the action that occurred over break.
Men’s basketball
After a 72-68 loss to No. 7 seed Texas State in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on March 14, the Pioneers received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament on March 17.
Denver entered the NIT as a No. 3 seed and hosted No. 6 seed Ohio in the first round on March 19 in Magness Arena, marking the team’s third-ever appearance in the NIT and the first game hosted at DU in the program’s 89-year history in Division I athletics.
Led by sophomore guard Cam Griffin’s first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, the Pioneers defeated Ohio 61-57, marking the team’s first-ever postseason victory. Sophomore guard Brett Olson contributed 13 points and five steals, and junior Chris Udofia added 14 points and three blocked shots.
“I thought it was a very good college basketball game, a great postseason game with two good teams,” said head coach Joe Scott. “Ohio has such a veteran team, which is something I kept stressing to our guys. We tried to use that as a positive for us, instead of shying away from it. We told our guys, they have been here and done it, we need that experience they have. We were in a fight with them all night, and I thought our guys responded really well.”
Two days later, the Pioneers (22-9) traveled to the Comcast Center in College Park, Md., to take on No. 2 seed Maryland in the second round of the NIT. Despite 24 points and six rebounds from Udofia, a late rally by the Terps led to a 62-52 loss for Denver.
The game marked senior Chase Hallam’s final appearance as a Pioneer, and he recorded eight points and six rebounds. Olson added another 10 points, and Griffin made three steals, but Denver was unable to match Maryland’s scoring. The loss ended the Pioneers’ season, tying with last year’s record of 22 wins in a single season.
Women’s basketball
After posting a 13-16 overall record and an 8-10 record in the Western Athletic Conference, the Pioneer women’s basketball team entered the conference tournament as a No. 7 seed, defeating No. 10 seed Texas State (10-20) 73-63 in Las Vegas on March 12 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Freshman Kailey Edwards led the Pioneers with 17 points, while junior Maiya Michel added 10 points and 15 rebounds in her seventh double-double of the season. Emiko Smith recorded 14 points and five assists, and sophomore Theresa Wirth, who added 12. Texas State was led by Diamond Ford with 27 points and was the only Bobcat to reach double digits.
“It was a great team effort and a great defensive effort,” said head coach Kerry Cremeans. “Diamond Ford is a great player and possibly the best player in our conference. We knew going in that she would have 25-30 points, but our mindset was to defend their other players, and we were able to hold all of their other players to single-digits. I was very proud of our effort today.”
After Tuesday’s victory, the Pioneers battled No. 2 seed Utah State (18-12) on Wednesday, March 13, falling 78-65 to end their season at 14-17 overall.
“Utah State is on a mission to get to the NCAA Tournament and they played that way, but our fight and heart were incredible,” said Cremeans after the game. “Our girls represented Denver with great respect and with great passion, and that’s all we can ask for. I’m proud of the way this team performed today and all season long.”
Edwards again led the team with 18 points. Smith recorded 14 points, four steals, four rebounds, three assists and one block in her final game as a Pioneer, finishing her career with 726 assists, which is 309 more than the next closest in team history. Wirth added 11 points, and Michel tallied 12 rebounds, but Denver was unable to keep up with the Aggies, who advanced on to the semifinals.
Hockey
In the opening round of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament, the No. 11/10 Pioneer hockey team lost a best-of-three series to rival Colorado College March 15-17, winning 5-3 on Friday before losing 2-1 and 4-3 on Saturday and Sunday.
The series loss dropped Denver to 20-13-5 on the season and eliminated the Pioneers from the conference tournament, while the Tigers (16-17-5) advanced to the WCHA Final Five. This marked the first time since 2008 the Pioneers haven’t participated in the Final Five.
Denver was provided with an opportunity for redemption, however, when the team was provided with an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament during the selection show on March 24. The Pioneers are slotted as the No. 3 seed in the Northeast Regional of the tournament and are one of 16 teams to have made the bracket.
“When there are 16 teams left, everyone is good,” said head coach George Gwozdecky. “After playing the second hardest schedule in the nation, what we thought was coming was confirmed [at-large bid].”
Gymnastics
In front of a sold-out home crowd of more than 2,000 fans, the No. 13 Pioneer gymnastics team recorded a 196.4 in its regular season finale in Hamilton Gymnasium on March 16, topping Michigan State’s 193.45.
Junior Moriah Martin combined for a 39.5 in the all-around, including a 10.0 performance on vault. Martin is the third gymnast in program history to record a perfect score in the event. Junior Kaitlin Moorhead added a 9.95 on vault as well.
The Pioneers then competed in the Western Athletic Conference Championships in Cedar City, Utah, where they finished second with a 196.125 on March 23. No. 24 Boise State won the conference title with a final score of 196. 225. Martin was named First Team All-WAC for her performance in the all-around and on vault, and Moorhead claimed the WAC vault title with a 9.95. Sophomore Nina McGee won titles in bars and floor with 9.925s.
After their performance at the conference championship, the No. 15 Pioneers received a bid for the Tuscaloosa Regional in Alabama for the first round of the NCAA championship process, where they will compete this Saturday. This will be the team’s 15th consecutive regional appearance under head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart.
“We are looking forward to attending the NCAA regional championship,” said Kutcher-Rinehart. “The conference championship was very competitive, very loud. There was a lot going on at same time, and I think those things will prepare us for regionals.”
Also competing at this regional will be No. 3 Alabama, No. 9 Utah, No. 23 Kent State, No. 30 BYU and No. 35 Iowa State.
“We aren’t the favorite to advance to nationals, but I know we are a very competitive team,” said Kutcher-Rinehart. “Our team knows what it means to be in competitive environments, and on any given night, anyone can advance.
“We’ll approach them [San Jose State] exactly the same [as we would any other team]. We’ve got to play good.”
With the win, the Pioneers seem to be peaking at just the right time, having won four out of their last five matches.
“We know what we’ve got to do,” said Wren. “We’re not worried at all; I just think that when we get down there, it just comes to whether or not we bring our game. The sky is the limit, really.”
