DU Men’s Basketball showed up to earn a victory in their game on Jan. 27 against No. 1 South Dakota (USD) in Magness Arena, beating the Coyotes by an impressive 16 points with key performances by junior guard, Joe Rosga (St. Paul, Minn.) and senior guard, Jake Pemberton (Highlands Ranch, Colo.). The final score read 84-68 as Denver improved their record to 10-12 while the Coyotes dropped to 18-6. The Pioneers have now claimed three straight victories, its longest string of wins since a six-game streak last season.
Rosga contributed a game-high of 23-points, deadly from behind the three-point arch, knocking down five threes as part of a 9-for-13 day from the field. Teammate Pemberton came up big for a second straight game, scoring a season-high 22 points for the Denver squad. Sophomore forward Jake Krafka (Austin, Texas) had his best game of his collegiate career, scoring a career high of 12 points in 14 minutes. Krafka came off the bench and provided big plays at critical times on numerous occasions in the second half, highlighted by a clutch three-pointer with four minutes left on the clock. Sophomore guard, Ade Murkey (Minneapolis, Minn.) added 10 points. The game was Murkey’s fifth in the last six with double-digit points.
In the first 10 minutes of play, Rosga dominated the court as Denver took an 18-3 lead by the 11:48 mark in the first half. Rosga was Denver’s spark, scoring 13 of the Pioneers’ first 18 points on the day. He had it dialed in from all three levels, scoring on the drive, mid-range and from deep.
The Pioneers didn’t stop there, raising their lead to 22, the largest of the night, after a layup from Murkey at the 4:16 mark. South Dakota fought back late, cutting into the Denver lead. The score going into the second half was 42-28, with only a 14-point Denver lead.
Rosga and Pemberton made a statement in the first 20 minutes of the game, combining for 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including 7-for-11 from three-point range.
Denver’s defense was also stellar, holding the Coyotes to 36.4 percent shooting in the first half.
In the second half, the Coyotes came out strong, bringing the Pioneer lead to nine after a three from Triston Simpson at the 14:49 mark. Denver immediately countered their momentum with a two-hand dunk from senior center, Daniel Amigo (El Paso, Texas), triggering a 7-0 run, which extended DU’s lead back to 16.
DU held its ground from there, never letting USD get any closer than 11 the rest of the way, locking up the statement win.
The Pioneers head to Fort Wayne, Ind. for a quick one-game trip next weekend. Denver will play the Mastodons on Feb. 3 at 12 p.m.
