DU showed they could go toe-to-toe with a desperate ORU team but came up short in an overtime loss at Hamilton Gym Sunday afternoon. While the New Year’s Eve loss was disappointing, there were plenty of positives to take out of this game for the new year.
Denver had a tough first half, going 6-12 from the charity strip as the Golden Eagles shot 71% from three (5/7) to trail 39-32 at half. The teams were tied 30-30 with 3:23 in the half but a 9-2 run gave the Golden Eagles some breathing room at the end of 20 minutes.
Four minutes into the second half, it looked like ORU was going to run away with the game. ORU’s Kareem Thompson put in a layup to put the Golden Eagles up by 14 but Denver came charging back. With 9 minutes left in the game, DU chipped away at the lead and DU’s Isaiah Addo-Ankrah sunk a three-point make and a foul shot to pull within 3 points. At the 4:03 mark, a pair of Isaiah Carr free throws finally put DU up by two, 64-62. A three-point shot by Tommy Bruner at :48 gave Denver a two-point lead. ORU countered the Bruner tray when Isaiah McBride made a three-point play for ORU and Bruner went one for two at the foul line to take the game to OT, 71-71.
In overtime, ORU started with a dunk by Issac Herron and a three-point make by Jalen Miller to take a 5-point lead. Denver charged back into the game, capped by a Jaxson Brenchley make, and knotted the score at 81. ORU’s Kareem Thompson responded with another 3-point make and Denver could never recover. Final score 89-86.
Tommy Bruner finished with 30 points (12/30, 6/9) and 5 assists. Touko Tainamo had 15 points and a whopping 20 rebounds in a double-double effort. Jaxson Brenchley had a double-double too with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Denver had only 10 turnovers but went 19 of 30 (63%) from the free-throw line which ultimately impacted the final result. ORU shot 43.8% from the field to 42.3% for Denver.
Next up is the non-conference Summit League-Big Sky Challenge game on Wednesday at 7:30 pm MT against Idaho State at Hamilton Gym.
New assistant coach Dr. Goddard- YOU’RE FIRED.
Wow. Gut punch game and a very tough result for the Pios, despite a heroic level of DU effort by Tommy, Tuoko, Jaxon and Isiah to claw back from 14 down against a very experienced and big-bodied ORU team. I think Tanaimo’s 20 rebounds may be a school record. But at the end of the day, there are no moral victories. ORU just made more of the shots when they really needed them, especially Kareem Thompson’s deep-corner-off balance arcing, dagger three with just as the Golden Eagles’ shot clock expiring in the final minute of OT. Crushing.
When the DU coaches look back at the film, they will rue some of the lightly-contested three balls that ORU scored during this game, as well as some their own turnovers and missed foul shots, especially in the first half. Those are free points that DU could have really used later, and DU improved on the foul shooting in the second half, which had to be huge point of emphasis in the locker room. At the end of the day, DU gave up 89 points, which you can’t do at home and expect to win.
I also think Deandre Craig suffered a tough game guarding ORU’s bigger and more experienced guys, but those kind of freshman lessons usually pay dividends down the road as he grows more experienced.
Go Pios.