Box Score Denver, Colo. – UCI started the morning at John Wayne Airport and ended the day with a 78-73 victory over Denver in Magness Arena Thursday.
After the team's flight was cancelled Wednesday afternoon, UCI boarded a plane this morning and arrived at their Denver hotel at 2:30 p.m. The team was able to have a quick pre-game meal before heading to the arena to face the Pioneers where they improved to 3-1 overall with the victory. It is the first time since 2008 that the Anteaters have won consecutive non-conference games on the road. Denver falls to 1-3.
Senior forward Camille Buckley led UCI with a season-high 21 points and eight rebounds with19 points and five rebounds coming in the second half. Buckley went 8-15 from the floor and 5-5 from the line and grabbed seven offensive rebounds. Junior guard Madison McKenney came off the bench to record her UCI career-high 15 points, shooting 6-11 from the field, including two three-pointers. Senior guard Jennifer Tsurumoto added 13 points and senior forward Jazmyne White had 10 points and six rebounds. Junior forward Methlyn Onogomuho totaled seven points and five rebounds in her first action of the season. Sophomore forward Mokun Fajemisin recorded seven rebounds, three blocks and four points, while senior forward Lauren Spinazze had four points.
From the floor, the Anteaters shot 42.1 percent (32-76) overall and 47.6 percent (20-42) in the second half.. UCI out-rebounded the Pioneers 47-42. The Anteaters had seven steals, four blocks and just nine turnovers.
Denver had four players in double-digit scoring led by Paige Bradley with 21 points followed by Morgan Von Riper-Rose (18) and Theresa Worth with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Kailey Edwards recorded 11 points and six assists, while Maiya Michel totaled a game-high 15 rebounds. The Pioneers hit seven three-pointers.
Denver led 7-6 then scored seven unanswered to take a 14-6 lead at 13:27. The Anteaters responded scoring the next six, the last by Jennifer Tsurumoto at 11:37 to narrow the margin to 14-12. The Pioneers would score eight in a row to open a 27-18 advantage at 7:15. Denver held a 35-25 lead then UCI would score the final three points of the half to go in to the locker room trailing 35-28.
Denver held another 10-point advantage (38-28) at 19:37 in the second half before the Anteaters out-scored the Pioneers 21-9 to take their first lead, 49-47, on a Methlyn Onogomuho basket with 13:37 remaining. The game would be tied three more times, the last on a Paige Bradley three-pointer at 6:23 (61-61). UCI would go on an 8-2 run, which included back-to-back threes by Madison McKenney to push the lead back to 69-63 with 4:17 to go. The Pioneers would get as close as two, the last time at 2:11 when Bradley had a layup to make the score 73-71 but the Anteaters would use a layup by Onogomuho and two free throws by Camille Buckley to put UCI ahead 77-71 with 40 seconds left. UCI missed the front end of the one-and-one twice but Denver was unable to convert on the other end and a free throw by Onogomuho at 8.2 ended the scoring.
The Anteaters will travel to Idaho for a 2:00 p.m. PST contest against the Vandals on Saturday
