DU men’s basketball (8-11, 1-3) travelled to Vermillion, S.D. and faced a depleted South Dakota Coyotes squad Saturday afternoon. The Coyotes had seven players out with injuries. The big question: Could the Pioneers build and hold the lead in the final 5 to 7 minutes of a game against a reeling team? Well, rinse-and-repeat as Denver fizzled in the final 8 minutes, 82-72, missing a chance to defeat the vulnerable Coyotes. Denver also wasted a career game from Gabe Oldham, who delivered 24 points and 13 rebounds.
South Dakota got the first two points of the game, and DU countered with 7 consecutive points. A Zane Nelson three put DU up 12-7 at the five-minute mark. Two minutes later, the Coyotes matched DU, 14 each. Denver went cold from the field, two for nine, and the Coyotes 7’0″ Cameron Fens started to take over in the paint as South Dakota led 18-16 at the midway mark. Denver trailed by five, 29-24, at the five-minute mark following a layup by South Dakota’s Evan Anderson. A Jeremiah three point make from distance pulled the Pioneers within two points at the official’s timeout. Gabe Oldham catch and lay-in capped a Pioneer 11-0 run, leading Denver to a 37-33 lead with under a minute. Two Isaac Bruns free throws and a desperation three-make from the Coyotes knotted the score at the break, 37-37.
Despite a size disadvantage, Denver had a 4 carom advantage, 18-14, at halftime. Gabe Oldham scored a season-high 12 points in the half and secured four rebounds. Denver was 3 for 12 from downtown but shot 50% from the field to stay in contact. Denver’s bench went scoreless.
During the opening five minutes of the second half, South Dakota started with a scoring spurt, but Denver scratched back, capped by a Zane Nelson spin-around target, 48-46 South Dakota. Oldham continued to dominate the boards and the scoresheet to pull the Pioneers even, 48-48. South Dakota scored a pair of fast-break buckets to build a 61-53 edge, their largest of the day, with 10 minutes remaining. Denver switched from man-to-man defense to a zone and DU started to get stops on the Coyotes. Zane Nelson led the Denver comeback and his tray pulled DU within one, 61-60 with 7:46 left to play. Denver went back to man-to-man following a timeout and a pair of three-point makes by South Dakota built a 68-62 lead with five minutes left. Denver trailed by nine with four minutes left. Isaac Bruns, South Dakota’s best player, fouled out with under two minutes remaining as Oldham canned two free throws to draw within four, 76-72. Free throws by freshman point guard Izziah Buntyn, 8 of 8 down the stretch, made it a three-score game with under a minute to go. Final score 82-72.
In some ways, this was one of the most disappointing results this season. Yes, this was one of the weakest officiating crews in the Summit League. However, the result would have stood, even with a better officiated game. Also, Denver went to a second-half zone that worked against the Coyotes, but returned to man-to-man down the stretch and was burned. Perhaps mixing up defenses down the stretch would have helped DU get needed stops. Denver went 5 for 23 from downtown and finished with 43.1% shooting on the afternoon. Zane Nelson had 19 points and 3 rebounds in a solid effort.
Denver must deliver down the stretch in future games to establish some confidence. Denver fans will have to wait to see if that happens on Wednesday night when Denver returns home to face Oral Roberts at 7pm MT at Hamilton Gym.