DU Women’s Basketball fell to Western Illinois (WIU) on their home court in the regular season finale, with a final score of 77-61. The women’s squad finished 7-7 in Summit League play this season and went 16-13 overall. With the win, WIU improved to a 21-8 overall record and 10-4 in Summit League play.
Sophomore guard Lauren Loven (Scottsdale, Ariz.) led the Pioneers with a team-high of 15 points, and her teammate senior forward Jordyn Alt (North Oaks, Minn.) chalked nine points and a game-high of 17 rebounds. Senior forward Sydney Koel (Sioux Falls, S.D.) earned a career high of 10 points and four rebounds in her last game at DU. Koel and fellow seniors, Alt, guard Ciera Morgan (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and forward Jahla Osborne (Stafford, Va.) were honored in the last home game.
In the match, the Pioneers shot 32.3 percent (21-65) from the field and 30.8 percent (8-26) from three-point range. The team grabbed 56 rebounds, forced 17 turnovers and had 14 assists.
DU started the game strong with 5-2 lead as Koel opened the game with a momentum-grabbing three-pointer. WIU was quick to respond, going on an 8-2 run and taking the lead 10-7 at the three minute mark. DU fired back, with a five point run from Alt and Loven, and took back the advantage by the end of the quarter, 14-13.
In the second quarter, WIU outscored DU 13-4 in the first five minutes. The threat came from WIU player, Emily Clemens, as she drained back-to-back threes that led her to a game-high of 28 points. WIU continued to dominate offensively, but the Pioneers fought hard. Loven was the star of the game for Denver in the first half, scoring 10 points and earning two rebounds.
In the first half, the Crimson and Gold grabbed 29 rebounds, had six assists and forced six turnovers.
Sophomore forward Madison Nelson (Dover, Minn.) started the second half with another momentum-grabbing three, but WIU responded with an 11-1 run, giving them their largest lead of the game of 23 points. The teams fought back and forth offensively, and DU found itself in a comeback position.
The Pioneers opened the final quarter strong again, with six points in a row. With this run, Denver found itself down by eight with less than eight minutes to play. WIU’s offense took off again with a 15-2 run, which claimed the fourth quarter and ended the final home game at 77-61 in favor of WIU.
Denver returns to the court March 4, when they take to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the Summit League Tournament. They will face Oral Roberts in the first matchup of the tournament.
