It’s a fascinating time to be a DU basketball fan. This season’s team (5-6) was always going to rely on guard play. However, the talented and youthful backcourt assembled by the coaching staff was going to be backstopped by a formidable front line  – two seven footers, a 6’9″ Polish National Team member and veteran Pedro Lopez Sanvicente (6’9″). At this point in non-conference play, Sanvicente is the last man standing (for now) and the coaching staff must mix and match lineups, problem-solve, coach and develop players on the fly.

Fans get to see the coaching laboratory live – sometimes it’s pretty and sometimes it’s not. Prior to the spate of frontcourt injuries and departure, we told you in our preseason preview, “It will be a roller coaster, especially early, with a relatively young team but not without its rewards, especially at the end. If you decide to get on, buckle up and plan on a wild ride.”

Case in point was the team’s first road win of the season at Portland State on Saturday, 68-67. Denver continued to develop their identity, playing a guard-centric game. Led by leading scorer Isaiah Addo Ankrah’s team-leading 21 points, DU used a 3-point barrage by the grad student to stick close to Portland State, trailing 41-40 at the break. It was a tight first half with only two to three points separating the two teams. Denver shot a sizzling 51.6% from the floor, buoyed by 6 trays but Portland State shot 46.4%, finding points in the paint and points from their bench players.

As you might expect, the second half is usually a challenge for a team that plays a small line-up and can get worn down in the final twenty minutes. Denver’s young guards went cold from the field but DU was not turning the ball over and Portlands State was unable to take advantage of Denver’s scoring lulls. The Pioneers trailed by two points, 52-50 with ten minutes remaining. Denver protected the ball down the stretch (only 5 turnovers for the entire game) and Portland State started to miss free throws (54% on 14/26). With seven minutes remaining, a jumper put the Vikings up 59-53 but veteran Addo-Ankrah responded with yet another three-point make, 59-56. Denver whittled away at the Vikings lead. A dunk by Sanvicente with under a minute gave Denver the lead followed by a DeAndre Craig layup to build a three-point edge. Nicholas Shogbonyo delivered the game-winning points on a layup and the Vikings could not find the scoreboard the rest of the way,  Final score, 68-67.

Denver was saved by an ice-cold Portland State team that went 1-7 from three-point range in the second half and missed 12 free throws for the game. However, DU took advantage of the opportunity and created their own chances.  Denver learned the value of caring for the ball with only five turnovers and relied on their quickness on defense. The Pioneers benefitted from nearly 80% shooting from the line which kept them in contact. DU’s guards, Shogbonyo (19 points, 6 rebounds) and DeAndre Craig (12 points, 2 rebounds) combined with Addo-Ankrah’s long-distance shooting to make the difference. Add Josh Lee with 5 points and a critical 8 rebounds in traffic and the Pioneers earned a hard-fought road win.

Until Denver gets 7’0″ Abdulai Fanta Kabba on the floor sometime in January, this is what the Pioneers will look like. Wins will be scrappy and losses may be ugly but the effort is always there. Denver can learn to win small and their guard play, young and promising, is perhaps the deepest and best in head coach Jeff Wulbrun’s tenure at DU.

Photo: Courtesy of Portland State Athletics