Denver men’s basketball opened their regular season with two games this week. They lost 85-62 in a tough road trip to Stanford and won their home opener against Western Colorado 97-80.
Denver started the game against Stanford neck and neck. They had a good play early, with a drive from sophomore guard DeAndre Craig who found graduate student guard Isaiah Addo-Ankrah in the corner and drained a three in the second minute to give Denver an early two-point lead.
They stayed close for most of the half until the momentum shifted with 7:57 to play. Stanford’s Jalen Blakes stole the ball from Craig on the press and found Oziyah Sellers for a dunk.
Denver redshirt junior guard Ben Bowen scored a layup to make the score 21-20 in favor of Stanford with 7:33 to play. Then, Stanford went on to score 17 unanswered points.
Denver went into the locker room down 38-22. They shot 33% from the field and 1-9 from three in the first half. In contrast, Stanford shot 5-14 from behind the arc.
Stanford extended their lead to 19 with 15 minutes to play, but freshman guard Sebastian Akins looked to fight back in his first game for Denver. Akins traded threes with Sellers, then got a steal and a powerful dunk on the fast break with 13 minutes left.
Denver couldn’t build from this momentum and Stanford continued to dominate. The game ended 85-62 in favor of Stanford.
Denver struggled with shooting all game. They shot 45.8% from the field, 17.6% from three and 65.2% from the free throw line. They also had 20 turnovers, which led to 23 of Stanford’s points.
Akins had a strong opener, leading the team in scoring with 15 points in 20 minutes. He shot 44% from the field and was a perfect 6 of 6 from the line.
Friday’s game against Western Colorado started with a burst from the Mountaineers. They came out with an 8-1 run, highlighted by an early three-pointer from Tyler Halligan.
Denver fought back and the game was tight at 18-17 to Denver after a layup from Craig with 8:57 left in the first half. The Crimson and Gold looked to turn the momentum with a rebound from freshman forward Josh Pickett who brought the ball down the court and found junior guard Nicholas Shogbonyo for a fast break three.
Denver continued to ride this wave with an energizing play. Junior guard Josh Lee stole the ball and passed it ahead to Akins who then threw up a lob that was finished by Lee on the fast break. This made the game 30-19 with 6:00 to play.
The Crimson and Gold closed out the half leading 46-29. They shot 60% from behind the arc in the first half.
Denver started the second half strong. Addo-Ankrah hit a three with the shot clock running out to give Denver a 20-point lead, then junior center Isaiah Carr had a huge block on the other end with 18:15 left in the half.
The game was back and forth for the rest of the half, with Denver maintaining their lead. Akins started to get hot, driving into the paint for a one-handed slam with 4:34 to play. He had another two-hand flush with 2:19 left on the clock.
Denver finished the game out winning 97-80.
The Crimson and Gold highlighted their team play, with six players scoring double digits. Craig was the game leader with 15 points. Akins continued his strong start for Denver with a 12-point game. The pair are currently the team’s joint leading scorers through the first two games with 27 points each.
Denver’s team play was shown on the defensive end as well. They forced Western Colorado to commit 20 turnovers, which led to 19 of their points.
Denver’s free throw woes continued, shooting 65.6% from the line against the Mountaineers.
The Crimson and Gold’s season continues next week with two games. They will have a big test at Colorado State on Nov. 12 and will host Colorado Christian on Nov. 14.
