DENVER -- The Omaha men's basketball team dropped its second straight loss Saturday afternoon, falling 91-76 to Denver at Hamilton Gymnasium. The Mavericks are now 10-10 (3-2 Summit League), while the Pioneers, who snapped a 10-game losing streak, improve to 5-15 (1-5 Summit League).
Leaders for Omaha
KJ Robinson was the Mavericks' leading scorer with his second straight 20-point performance. The senior finished with 23 on the day with 6-of-10 shooting, including four triples, along with three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Matt Pile just missed a double-double with 20 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
JT Gibson and
Marlon Ruffin added another 10 points apiece, with Ruffin grabbing five boards.
Leaders for Denver
Jase Townsend hit eight 3-pointers for the Pioneers, leading all scorers with a career-high 32 points. Ade Murkey had 19 points with seven rebounds and seven assists, and Robert Jones chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds.
Team Stats
Denver shot a season-high 54.5% (30-of-55), including 55.0% (11-of-20) from long range. Omaha came in at 36.2% (25-of-69) from the floor and 28.6% (8-of-28) from deep.
The Mavericks outrebounded DU 37-35, including 17-8 on the offensive end.
Inside the First Half
A pair of Robinson threes spurred an early 12-0 run, which put Omaha ahead 14-8. The Mavericks held their last lead at 24-23 before Denver countered with a 14-2 run to go up 37-26 with two minutes to the break.
Omaha was 2-of-10 from the floor in the final seven minute and led for just 5:01 of the first stanza.
Led by 13 points from Townsend and 12 from Murkey, the Pioneers shot 53.8% (14-of-26) for the half. Robinson (11) and Pile (10) were both in double figures within the first 20 minutes for the Mavericks.
Inside the Second Half
DU opened the second half 5-of-6 from deep and built its largest lead of 17 at 71-54 with 6:44 to go. Robinson and
Wanjang Tut combined forces for an 11-0 run from there, which cut the deficit to six, but the Mavericks would get no closer as DU held on for its first league win.
Noting Today's Game
-Denver leads the all-time series with Omaha, 9-7.
-The Pioneers have a 5-3 advantage in Denver since 2012-13.
-
JT Gibson has scored in double figures in six straight games.
Marlon Ruffin has four straight performances in double digits.
-Today marked the second time this season that Omaha has had two 20-point scorers on the same day.
-
KJ Robinson has hit four 3-pointers in three straight games.
Up Next
Omaha begins a four-game home stand next Thursday, Jan. 23 with Western Illinois. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Baxter Arena, and Gary Sharp and
Kyler Erickson will have the radio call on 1180 Zone 2. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.