On Thursday, Jan. 10 the University of Denver Pioneers men’s basketball team (5-14) looked to end their five-game losing streak in a road matchup against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (13-6). The Pioneers were coming off a two-game homestand to begin the year. The Pioneers saw a mix of results in losing both games in the homestand by scores of 71-70 in a heartbreaker against the University of South Dakota and an 80-59 blowout loss against the University of North Dakota. The Pioneers fought hard but struggled to outplay their dominant division rival, falling to the Jackrabbits by a final score of 78-66. Senior guard Joe Rosga (St. Paul, Minn.) led the team in scoring with a team-high 16 points while going 4-8 from beyond the arc. 

Despite their ability to hold reigning Summit League Player of the Year Mike Daum (Kimball, Neb.) to just 10 points and being held to shooting less than 50 percent in the second half, the Jackrabbits’ 11 point lead in the first half was enough to give them a 12 point victory.

The first half saw an entertaining display of both teams scoring from the three-point line as both teams combined for 15 three-pointers in the first half, which would result in 23 total three-pointers in the game.

Both teams failed to score in the first three minutes of the second half, giving Denver the opportunity to make a comeback run, but the Pioneers only got within seven points of the Jackrabbits in the second half.

The Pioneers hope to turn a disappointing season around in their return home to Magness Arena for a matchup this Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 7:00 p.m. against the North Dakota State University Bisons, followed by a matchup on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 4 p.m. MST against the Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles.