The Denver men’s basketball team fought hard on Saturday to defeat the Omaha Mavericks. In Saturday’s electric game, the Pioneers scored a season-high 91 points, led by sophomore Jase Townsend (Dallas, Texas) who recorded a career-high 32 points. As the star of Saturday’s game, Townsend showed his skill from beyond the arc and was 8-for-10 from beyond the 3-point line. Senior Ade Murkey (Minneapolis, Minn.) also had an impressive night with 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Freshman Robert Jones (Prior Lake, Minn.) gave Denver their strength down low with eight rebounds and 15 points. 

Early in the first half, the game was back and forth, with the Pioneers holding only a two-point lead at the first media timeout. But, as Denver stepped up their defense, the Pioneers gained an 11 point lead. The Mavericks went on a run to reduce the lead to seven but Denver held strong until the end of the half. The Pioneers went into the locker with 40 points to Omaha’s 33. 

As the second half began, the Pioneers came out ready to play and immediately took control of the game. In this half alone, the Pioneers scored 51 points with help from Townsend, who had an impressive second-half. Townsend was 5-for-6 from the 3-point line and recorded 19 of his 32 points in just 20 minutes of play. As the half continued, Denver fought to gain a 17 point lead and was unfazed by Omaha’s full-court press and 11-0 run in the last minutes of the game. The Pioneers secured the win with a final score of 71-65, officially snapping their 10 game losing streak. 

Denver travels to North Dakota on Jan. 23 to take on the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at 6 p.m. MST.