Denver notched another win this weekend against St. Thomas in what has been a breakthrough year for the DU men’s basketball program. DU trounced the Tommies 94-77 in front of a rocking crowd at Hamilton Gymnasium. 

Denver is on track for their first season above .500 since the 2016-17 season.

Fifth-year guard Tommy Bruner is the driving force behind this resurgence, averaging 25.2 points per game, the most in the country this season. While he “only” got 18 points in the victory, Bruner was still fantastic, showing off his scoring prowess as well as his underrated playmaking, dishing seven assists.

However, Bruner was not the star of the show tonight, with fellow fifth-year guard Jaxon Brenchley proving to be too much to handle for St. Thomas. The 6’5” guard was at the top of his game from the opening tip, and set the tone, scoring DU’s first seven points. 

He wouldn’t slow down from there, coming agonizingly close to a triple-double with 25 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. He was scoring from all levels of the floor, knocking down two threes, getting to the rim and getting to the free-throw line nine times.

Bruner, Brenchley and hot three-point shooting carried the day for Denver, being most present at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half. It was in that twelve-minute period that Denver won the game and pulled away from St. Thomas. 

With four minutes to go in the first half, DU was up by five points, but after seven minutes of the second half, the Crimson and Gold were up by 25. Denver outscored the Tommies 36-16 in that time. 

A huge momentum shifter came at the halftime buzzer, when freshman guard DeAndre Craig hit a buzzer-beater to take the lead up to 45-32 heading into the half. That was his biggest bucket, but Craig was excellent throughout the game, scoring 14 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers, which were vital for Denver. 

The Denver lead ballooned to as high as 27 points on a couple of occasions, but Denver took their foot off the gas with some sloppy play which led to St. Thomas cutting into the lead. 

DU was never in any real danger, with the slimmest lead in the last ten minutes of the game being 13 points, but Head Coach Jeff Wulbrun was clearly frustrated with some of the turnovers.

Despite that, Denver got a comfortable win over a quality conference opponent, which is a very good sign for Denver as they head into the business end of the season. They also improved their home record to an impressive 9-2, giving DU a home-field advantage they have not had in recent memory.

They play two home games this week against North Dakota on Thursday and North Dakota State on Saturday, as they look to gain some momentum heading into the conference tournament. In a wide-open Summit League, Denver has a chance to make their first-ever March Madness appearance.