The Pioneer men’s basketball team added to their three-game home winning streak by defeating the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders 63-51 on Thursday night in Magness Arena and also extended their road losing streak to 43 games with their 66-57 loss to the University of Arkansas-Little Rock at the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday night.

Against the Blue Raiders (14-9, 8-4 SBC) on Friday, the Pioneers (10-12, 5-6 SBC) dominated most of the game, establishing a lead within minutes of the opening tip-off and never relinquishing it.

The Blue Raider’s sole lead of one point was at the 19:10 mark of the first half, and for the remaining 39 minutes of the game, the Pioneers dictated both the lead and tempo of the game.

Concerning the buckets and dimes of the game, junior guard and captain Nate Rohnert scored a game-high 17 points as freshman guard Brian Stafford contributed 14 points and three steals.

“We’ve been playing good basketball since Dec. 9,” head coach Joe Scott said of his team’s victory over the Sun Belt Conference-East Division second place Blue Raiders. “That first half might have been the best we’ve played because it was against a good team – a team that was picked to win our league, a team that’s well coached. They’re tough. They’re physical. It’s what makes them be good. They have an identity. We showed tonight that we have an identity, too. Our guys know what our identity is and showed it for all 40 minutes.”

While the Pioneers established a comfortable double-digit lead of 35-23 to close the first half, Middle Tennessee continued to put the pressure on the Pioneers during the second half, bringing the game to within six points with 6:48 to play in the game.

However, just as the Blue Raiders appeared to be gaining momentum, Denver responded with a 10-0 run to quell the opponents comeback and hopes for victory.

The Pioneers found success on both ends of the floor, shooting an impressive 57.6 percent (24-for-42) from the floor and holding the Blue Raiders to a lowly 42.4 percent (16-for-38).

The freshman trio of Justin Coughlin, Travis Hallam and Sabatino Chen helped lead this defensive performance, with a combined total of 11 steals against Middle Tennessee.

Squaring off on the road against the SBC West leader, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, the Pioneer men succumbed to the Trojans (16-6, 9-2 SBC) 66-57 in what would have been an impressive victory.

Rohnert once again carried the Pioneers, nearly notching a double-double, dropping 11 points and dishing eight dimes.

Sophomore Rob Lewis also hit 12 points for crimson and gold, while additionally pulling down four rebounds.

After gaining a 10-4 lead to start the game, the Pioneers struggled defensively, allowing the Trojans to go on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 14-14 with 11:05 remaining in the first half.

In a stark contrast to Thursday’s performance, the Pioneers shot a dismal 36.4 percent (8-for-23) in the first half, but they still managed to keep the game close entering halftime trailing by only two points, 26-24.

In the second half, Denver failed to keep pace with Little Rock, as the Trojans built a lead of 43-32, with 13:28 remaining.

The Pioneers tried in vain to come back, but after an 8-2 run led by Stafford, which cut the Denver deficit to five points with ten minutes left in the game, the Trojans responded quickly with six straight points to push their lead back to a comfortable 11 point margin.

After another impressive home victory over Middle Tennessee State, a team that was picked to place first in the SBC’s preseason poll, the Pioneer men proved once again that they can defeat any SBC team on the hardwood of Magness Arena.

However, as the Pioneers, who are currently tied for second in the SBC West with Arkansas State University, North Texas University and University of Louisiana-Lafayette, enter their final six games, each contest is vital to the seeding of the SBC conference tournament, which determines home-court advantage.

If the Pioneers want to ensure their home-court advantage, they must first win close games on the road against teams like Arkansas-Little Rock and their next road opponent, the Florida Atlantic Owls, who they play this Thursday at 5 p.m.

On Saturday at 4 p.m. Denver will be back in Magness taking on another Sun Belt Conference competitor, thye University of New Orleans.