Denver men’s basketball (6-4) traveled to Ft Collins to take on #12/13 Colorado State University (9-0) at a packed Moby Arena. Denver would hold a lead in the second half but the Rams dominated the half with interior scoring, 42 points in the paint, for a 90-80 win. Denver battled the Rams close most of the night but CSU was just too strong for the Pioneers.
Denver started ice cold from the field and trailed 8-2. An Isaiah Addo-Ankrah three-point make closed the gap at the five-minute mark. A Tommy Bruner three knotted the score 8-8. The teams were tied at the official timeout following a Jaxson Brenchley three, 13–13. A Touko Tainamo layup pulled Denver within one, 18-17 at 8:00 minutes. CSU began to exploit DU’s interior to build a 22-17 edge at 6:25. Another CSU run pushed the Rams advantage to 8, 30-22, at 3:47. At 2:27, a pair of DU threes pulled Denver within one, 31-30. A Tommy Bruner make-and-one pulled Denver’s even, 33-33. A Bruner three gave Denver a 3-point lead, 36-33 with a minute to go. A Touko Tainamo three-point make put DU up 39-35 at the half.
In the second half, after two consecutive buckets by the Rams, Touko Tainamo closed the lead to two. A three-point make by CSU gave the Rams the lead and another trey stretched the advantage, 47-43. Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente launched a three to pull within one and a DeAndre Craig layup put DU up by one, 48-47. An Addo-Ankrah three extended the lead, 51-47, as Denver stretched the lead to four. The Rams went on a scoring run again before DeAndre Craig nailed a layup-and-one, 56-55, Rams. The Rams pulled away on yet another run until Isaiah Carr went to the line to stop the bleeding, 63-57, Rams at 9:45. CSU held a 6-point lead at the 8:00 minute mark making hay on the inside but Denver closed the gap to three on three free throws from Bruner. CSU went on yet another run, 76-66, with five minutes left. CSU held the 10-point advantage until the three-minute mark. A DeAndre Craig layup-and-one pulled DU within 7 points. DU started fouling. After being fould beyond the arc, Tommy Bruner canned three foul shots to close the gap to five – but that was the best DU could do. Final score 90-80 CSU.
Tommy Bruner was a one-man wrecking crew for DU with 28 points and 8 assists. CSU was led by Isaiah Stevens with 18 points and 9 assists. DU shot 51% from the field and 46% from three. CSU shot a sizzling 60% from the field and 47% from three.
We were at the game & behind the bench. CSU has a big pep band with a loyal fan base. Maybe 3,000 students out of the 7,135 crowd? Moby is a solid home court and loud! I’m thinking the DU players really enjoyed the noise and should really be congratulated for playing very tough. The crowd was really giving the Pioneers a hard time.
I still think DU basketball would benefit from a pep band and help the home court atmosphere!
This might have been the best DU hoops performance in a decade, and for me, better than in any win during that timeframe, because of the high quality of the opponent.
The Pios, a 22-point underdog, led at halftime and really scared an undefeated, nationally-ranked top 12/13 CSU Rams team. There were over 7,000 SCU fans (4,800 of them CSU students, according to the broadcast) cheering against the Pios at Moby and DU still shot over 50%, played disruptive, quality defense, and played hard for each other, pushing the deeper Rams till the very end.
DU has played respectably against nationally-ranked opponents like K-State and UCLA on the road in recent years, but this CSU atmosphere was simply more intense and DU still went toe-to-toe with the Rammies. Wow.
I think those coaches who picked DU for last in the Summit League are in for a rude awakening – this DU team has proven it can play very good basketball against quality opponents and I think the Pios are now a Summit League threat. What Coach Wulbrun and his staff are doing with a cobbled-together roster (and a low budget) is simply fantastic…
Couldn’t agree more with the Puck. This years team appears to have the it factor. Coach Wilburn has done an excellent job of bringing in players that fit the system. Having some shooters this year will keep them in the game. Go shock the world and put a loss to the Cougs. Can’t wait to see how this team performs in the Summit.