Trojans Fall to Denver at Sartain Hall

Saturday, February 12

Troy, AL

5:15 p.m.

Troy University

University of Denver

Photo by: Troy University

2/12/2011 8:14:50 PM | Basketball (W)

DeAngela Sword lone Trojan in double figures in loss

By: Travis Jarome

Box Score | Photo Gallery

TROY, Ala. – An upper class-laden University of Denver placed three players in double figures Saturday night, defeating Troy University 66-43 in Sun Belt Conference action at Sartain Hall.

Britteni Rice led all scorers for Denver (15-10, 7-5 Sun Belt) with 22 points, while Kaetlyn Murdoch added 20 and Brianna Culberson 13 for the Pioneers.

“I am disappointed in the loss,” head coach Michael Murphy said. “I thought we ran into a really hot basketball team tonight. They are a well-coached team and they play hard, and just looking at the stats, their upperclassmen were the difference in the basketball team.

“They really controlled the basketball game. Rice from the perimeter, Murdoch from the post and Culberson from both. We are growing, and we are trying to get to that point. We just have to move forward.”

Junior DeAngela Sword (Montgomery, Ala./Pensacola JC) was the lone player for the Trojans in double figures as she recorded 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor; all while recording a team-high seven rebounds.

Senior Donette McNair (New London, Conn./New London HS) finished the game with eight points, but moved into eighth place on the all-time scoring list at the university during the Division I era. She now has 1,064 points which pushes her past Thea Herring (2000-03) on the list.

After Denver started the game off on a 15-6 run over the first four minutes of the game (while shooting 75 percent from the floor), the Trojans made a run to get back into the game near the break. The run started with a Sophie Kleeman (Newcastle, Australia/Newcastle HS) three-pointer that trimmed the lead to 15-9 with 14:29 to play in the half. The Trojans pulled to within four at 15-11 with 12:31 to play in the half on a Sword jumper; before Denver pushed the lead back to 10 at 23-13 on a three-point play by Murdoch.

The Trojans continued to fight in the first half as they closed the gap six on a pair of baskets by Sword with 7:20 remaining; however, Denver continued to extend the lead back to eight with 3:35 to play in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Troy (5-20, 2-10 Sun Belt) continued to try to get back into the contest as Tenia Manuel (Leesburg, Fla./Leesburg HS) drained a three-pointer to pull the home team to within 27-22 with 2:31 remaining in the half. The Trojans then got to within three at 27-24 with a lay-up by Sword, before Denver closed out the first half with a basket from Murdoch for the 29-24 halftime lead.

The Trojans ran out of steam in the second half as Denver opened the half on a 14-2 run to extend their lead to 43-26 with 14:41 to play. From there, the Pioneers controlled the remainder of the contest for the victory.

“Successful teams have a way of making plays,” Murphy said. “They have a philosophy of the harder I work, the luckier I get. I really think in the second half, their upperclassmen really took over. They imposed their will on both ends. Those three came up with the loose balls, the rebounds and the shots when they needed them.

“That is what you expect from your upperclassmen. We only have one on the roster, and our young kids are starting to learn how to do that. We are getting there, it just takes time.”

Troy shot 34.0 (17-for-50) percent from the floor and just 22.2 (2-for-9) percent from beyond the arc in the loss. They also shot 63.6 (7-for-11) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Denver shot 46.4 (26-for-56) percent from the floor; including 58.3 (14-for-24) percent in the second half. The Pioneers also shot 50 (6-for-12) percent from beyond the arc and just 47.1 (8-for-17) percent from the free throw line.

The Trojans return to action Thursday night against East Division-leading Middle Tennessee State University. The game tips at 5:15 pm at Sartain Hall and will part of a doubleheader with the men's program. The game will be broadcast on WTBF-94.7 FM beginning at 5 pm.

The game on Thursday night is Pack the House Night, a challenge from the NCAA to get out awareness of collegiate women's basketball. It is also WBCA Pink Zone Night, a night in which the Trojans are asking everyone to wear pink and make donations to help fight breast cancer. It is a nationwide initiative each year by the WBCA to raise awareness of breast cancer.

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