The Denver women’s basketball team played an impressive, fast-paced game on Saturday,  when challenged by Colorado Mesa University. The Pioneers pulled through in the end, winning 95-79, but their victory did not come without a fight. For the first minute of action, Mesa held Denver to zero points until senior guard Lauren Loven (Scottsdale, Ariz.) drained two consecutive threes to start the Pioneer’s momentum. The Pioneers then went on a 13-3 run in the middle of the first quarter to end the quarter with a solid 9-point lead.

However, in the second quarter, Colorado Mesa came out ready to fight. The Mavericks outscored the Pioneers 18-8 in this quarter and sunk a three in the last few seconds of the half to take a 38-37 lead into the locker room. The Pioneers then came out hard in the third quarter to take back the lead, gaining as much as 20 point gap and never looking back. Denver went on to outscore the Mavericks 31-19 in the third quarter and 27-22 in the fourth, ending the game with a 16 point victory.

On Saturday, all five starters scored in double digits and every Pioneer to take the court had at least one made basket. Loven led the Pioneers with 17 points, followed by fellow senior Madison Nelson (Dover, Minn.) who recorded 16, and freshman Uju Ezeudu (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) who not only collected 15 points but also 15 rebounds to record her second straight double-double. Redshirt junior Briana Johnson (Carson, Calif.) and junior Claire Gritt (Arlington Heights, Ill.) both also scored in double digits, with 12 and 10 points respectively. Additionally, Gritt drew an impressive total of five charges on Saturday night’s game to help the Pioneers to their win. Denver’s success on Saturday was truly a team effort, with every player contributing an important part to the Pioneer victory.

The Pioneers hope to keep their winning streak as they travel to play their season opener on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. MST against the Kansas City Roos.