The winner of the #6 Omaha – #7 Denver semifinal was set to face #1 South Dakota State University Tuesday night (7:30 pm MT) in the Summit League Tournament Finals. The Pioneers gutted it out tonight, overcoming a cold offensive hand and a hobbled Tommy Bruner. The Pioneers relied on lockdown zone defense and two unlikely heroes – Isaiah Carr and freshman DeAndre Craig in the nail-biting 66-63 win.

Tommy Bruner led DU to a  9-0 start with three NBA threes. Freshman DeAndre Craig added another tray and Denver was up 14-2 four minutes into the first half. Denver went cold from the field over the next 16 minutes and Omaha started to chip away at the Pioneer lead with the help of their star, Frankie Fidler. Fidler scored 10 straight points for Omaha and UNO knotted the game with a pair of free throws. Tommy Bruner had to return to the locker room with less than five minutes and the teams traded buckets in his absence. Denver continued to be ice-cold on offense with Bruner out of the lineup but, somehow, the Pioneers kept in contact. In the last minute, a pair of free throws by UNO’s Tony Osborn with 34 seconds left put Omaha up 32-30, and that score held to the break. Denver scored half their points in the first four minutes and struggled to score with a hobbled Tommy Bruner. Denver shot 32% to Omaha’s 40% from the field. Denver had 7 offensive rebounds and relied on tough interior defense and rebounding to stick close to the Mavs.

Omaha opened up the second half with a tray and Omaha’s Frankie Fidler started to get a hot hand (He finished with 27 points & 8 rebounds in 40 minutes). The Mavs hit the official timeout leading 44-37. Denver kept getting stops and rebounds and a Tommy Bruner jumper pulled Denver within three, 44-41. A DeAndre Craig tray pulled the game even, 44-44. An Isaiah Carr flush completed a DU 9-0 run to put DU up 46-44. The two teams traded points and leads down the stretch but it was defense, Isaiah Carr (9 points, 10 rebounds)  controlling the boards and DeAndre Craig (15 points, 5 assists) controlling the tempo on both ends of the floor. DU’s zone defense held Omaha scoreless down the stretch for over five minutes. A pull-up jumper by Craig at 2:47 gave DU a four-point lead, 62-58, forcing multiple Omaha possessions. The gap forced Omaha to foul for possessions and free throws. Tommy Bruner, Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente and Isaiah Carr hit from the stripe to stall any hope of an Omaha comeback. Final score 66-63 as time ran out on the Mavs.

All this tonight from a team that gave up points in gobs and struggled down the stretch of the regular season – but they had also shown flashes and brilliance in games, too.They wobbled to the finish line with double digit losses in their final three conference games. But they believed. They stayed together. They found defense. This is a tribute to a team and coaching staff who not only believed but made the necessary adjustments, physically and mentally, to do what no other Denver basketball team has done. There is still work to be done and history to be made. They are now 40 minutes from making school history.

Tommy Bruner gutted out 23 points in 35 minutes. DeAndre Craig played like a veteran point guard with 38 minutes and made critical plays on both ends of the floor by providing clutch scoring and big assists. Isaiah Carr had the best game of his career with a highlight block of Frankie Fidler and 9 points along with 10 rebounds. Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente played the fiery floor leader with only four points but his 7 rebounds and energy on the floor kept Denver going during the game.  This win also goes to the coaching staff for solid substitutions and changing up their defense to a zone to thwart Omaha’s offense which relied on penetration and inside scoring. Omaha could only muster 24 points in the paint.

DU is planning a Summit League Championship watch party(s) and we will update here when we have the details. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network nationwide.

https://letsgodu.com/2024/03/12/du-announces-summit-league-championship-watch-party-at-hamilton-gym/