The Denver women’s basketball team controlled Thursday night’s game against Fort Lewis College. Fort Lewis drained a three in the first minute of the game to take the early lead, but Denver was quick to respond. The Pioneers jumped ahead with seven minutes left in the first quarter and never looked back. Led by senior forward Madison Nelson (Dover, Minn.) and freshman forward Uju Ezeudu (Reynoldsburg, Ohio), Denver defeated Fort Lewis with a final score of 93-74.

In the second half, Fort Lewis fought hard, out-scoring Denver 45-50 and never letting the game spiral out of control. But, Denver’s success in the first half allowed for the Pioneers to keep their strong lead. The Pioneers used their size and strength under the basket to dominate their three point shooting opponent, with 58 percent of their points coming from shots taken inside the key.

Nelson added to Denver’s power in the paint, ending Thursday night with a double-double. Nelson recorded 17 points and a game-high of 12 rebounds. Ezeudu also held her place on the court and came off the bench to lead all scorers with 19 points. She recorded 17 minutes on the court but still racked up her stats with 10 rebounds, three steals and one assist. Three other Pioneers shared the wealth alongside Nelson and Ezeud with senior Lauren Loven (Scottsdale, Ariz.), redshirt junior Briana Johson (Carson, Calif.) and freshman Meghan Boyd (Eagle, Idaho) all tallying double digits. Loven scored 11 points, Johnson had 14 and Boyd tallied 13.

The Pioneers look to carry on this momentum as they take on Colorado Mesa at home on Nov. 2 for their second exhibition game. The game starts at 1 p.m. MST in Hamilton Gymnasium.