Denver men’s basketball welcomed South Dakota to a packed Hamilton Gymnasium on Jan. 25, leading to a raucous 111-110 double-overtime win for DU off a game-winning three-pointer by senior guard Isaiah Addo-Ankrah. Senior guard and current leading scorer in D1 basketball (26.3 PPG) Tommy Bruner led the team with a school record and career-high 49 points.
Denver also welcomed Omaha to Hamilton Gymnasium in a less favorable outcome on Saturday, falling to the Mavericks 91-72.
The first half of Thursday’s game against USD started with a fast and furious pace, neither team letting up for a moment, with a 27-27 tie at the seven-minute mark of the half. They continued back and forth, with Denver pulling away slightly, ending the half up 41-40.
The second half began similarly to the first with a back-and-forth pace. At the 12:23 minute mark of the second half USD pulled away with a seven-point lead, the largest lead of the game for either team, making it 63-56.
USD maintained their lead, up 79-73 at the 3:17 mark of the half, at which point Denver went on an 8-0 run. USD went right back down the floor and made a layup with 19 seconds left, giving Denver the final shot with an 81-81 tie.
After Denver advanced the ball past half-court, they called a timeout. Out of the timeout, with ten seconds left, Bruner took an isolation at the top of the key, crossed over twice, drove to his right and took a step-back jumper from the mid-range with two seconds left on the clock. The ball grazed the front rim, taking the game to overtime.
The overtime period began more competitively than regulation. Nobody scored until USD guard Kaleb Stewart, who finished the game with 44 points, drained a three at the 3:50 mark of the period to make it 84-81. A minute later, Bruner swung it out to Addo-Ankrah on the wing who drained a three to set it back to a tie.
Over the next couple of minutes, DU fell into a deficit, but with 36 seconds left in a 92-86 game, Bruner hit a three to make it 92-89. After two free throws from USD, Bruner came back down the floor and drained another three to make it 94-92 with 26 seconds left in the first overtime period.
With 16 seconds left, USD hit a free throw to take a four-point lead, 96-92. The crowd quieted, unsure if Denver could come back, until Denver came down the floor, dishing the rock to Bruner, who rose up for a three-pointer while leaning into USD player Stewart. Bruner drained the three, got the foul call and the crowd ignited with a roar. One free throw later, the game was tied once again, 96-96.
USD ran right back down the court and dished it to Stewart, who rose for a game-winning three-pointer, just as Bruner had a period before. The shot fell short, and the game went into double overtime.
Double overtime started quickly with both teams scoring layups in the first minute. They went back and forth until the 24-second mark, where, tied 108-108, Stewart drove in for a layup to give USD a 110-108 lead. Denver went down to the other end and turned the ball over, prompting USD to call a timeout for their inbound play.
With 18 seconds left, USD found the streaking man on the inbound against Denver’s full-court press, giving Paul Bruns an open lane for USD to take a four-point lead. That was until, out of nowhere, senior guard Jaxon Brenchley came from behind and blocked the shot off the backboard, the crowd going wild. Freshman guard DeAndre Craig grabbed the rebound with seven seconds left and called a timeout.
Out of the timeout, with seven seconds on the clock, Bruner got the ball, and drove into the lane for a contested layup with contact. He missed the layup, and after an official review didn’t get the foul call. USD took possession of the ball under the basket with 5 seconds left in the game and a 110-108 lead.
USD set up for their inbounds play, Denver on defense, five seconds on the clock, the crowd tense, uncertain and nervous. As USD inbounded the ball, Bruner attacked the ball and ripped it from the USD guard’s hands. Bruner stayed composed, dribbled down the baseline, surveyed his options, and found an open Addo-Ankrah on the wing, who already has a game-winning three on the season. Addo-Ankrah put up the shot with three seconds left, the ball went through the net with .7 seconds left and Hamilton gymnasium erupted.
USD didn’t have enough time to put up a shot, Denver won the game 111-110, advancing to a 4-2 record in Summit League Conference play, and a 13-8 overall record.
Four Denver players ended the game in double figures, led by Bruner, who finished with 49 points (the most points scored in a game by a D1 basketball player this season), eight assists, a tie for the school record of 15 made FG’s, and five three-pointers. Junior forward Touko Tainamo finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season. Addo-Ankrah’s game winning three was his second of the season, and the fourth of his career under Jeff Wulbrun. The 111 points scored is the most points scored by Denver’s men’s team in the modern D1 era.
After the game Bruner spoke on why he’s been having such a successful season, “I’ve worked harder than I ever have this year. Coach Wulbrun’s mentorship off the court has really helped me this year on the court. On top of that I’ve got a lot of great guys around me, a great support staff, so everything is working in my favor this season,” Bruner said.
Bruner believed he was made for these types of clutch moments and has dreamt of it since he was a kid.
“This is what I’ve dreamt of ever since I was a kid. Now that I’m here I’m just trying to make the most of it, enjoy it, and most importantly work as hard as I can. I just want to give my best effort everyday whether it’s practice, a game, or in the classroom,” he said.
Bruner loved to see the turnout inside Hamilton Gymnasium and the energy the packed crowd brought.
“Love to see the big crowd, it was nice. I’m glad we could give them something to talk about, give them a reason to smile, and to give them a reason to be proud of DU,” he said.
Coach Wulbrun also spoke on the success Bruner has had this season post-game and what he has meant to the team.
“What a performance for [Bruner], I mean, 49 points, 5-12 from three, 14-15 from the foul line, how about eight assists to go with 49 points, you think he’s important to our success? He’s just amazing. He gives us whatever we need,” he said.
Coach Wulbrun was also pleased with the high energy the crowd brought to the game and said it was a booster for the team.
“The crowd was awesome, that’s the best crowd we’ve ever had in my time so far by far. The place was electric, there was so much energy and enthusiasm in the gym. We fed off the energy from the crowd all night,” he said.
Saturday’s afternoon outing didn’t have the same energy as Thursday’s game, which became obvious out of the gate as Denver started with a lagging pace. DU took the lead at the 16:30 minute mark of the first half, up 8-7, never finding the lead again for the rest of the game. UNO led 43-33 going into halftime.
In the second half, Denver didn’t score until the 15 minute mark of the half, by which point UNO had already ballooned their lead by 25 points, leading 60-35. UNO went on to win 91-72.
Bruner and Brenchley were the only DU players to finish in double figures, Bruner with 21 and Brenchley with 11.
Denver takes on Kansas City and Oral Roberts in their next conference matchups. They will take on the Roos on Thursday and the Golden Eagles on Saturday. Both tip-offs start at 6 p.m.
