Denver Downs Lamar, 62-55

Nate Rohnert had 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and a career-high four steals in DU’s victory

DENVER- The University of Denver men’s basketball team defeated the Lamar Cardinals 62-55 tonight in Magness Arena.

 “Being 5-1 says something. We’ve played some good teams, and we did what we needed tonight,” head coach Joe Scott said. “There are things I’m not going to be happy about, but I think Rob Lewis helped us in the second half in only his second game back, and I thought Sabatino Chen gave us a big lift in the first half.”

Senior captain Nate Rohnert (Parker, Colo.) led DU in scoring with 20 points and five rebounds. He also had 5 assists and tied his career-high with four steals. Junior forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added nine points, all in the second half, in just his second game after returning from an injury.

The Pioneers (5-1) had a slow start against the Cardinals (3-5) before sophomore guard Sabatino Chen (Louisville, Colo.) sparked a 9-0 run halfway through the first half. However, Lamar led 29-26 at the break.

With 7:55 left in the game, Chen scored on a backdoor layup that tied the game at 44-44, and Denver took the lead on a Rohnert three-point play.

Junior Andrew Hooper (Lakewood, Colo.) hit a three-pointer at the 5:58 mark, extending the Pioneers’ lead to five.

After the Cardinals cut the DU lead back to two, Rohnert scored on a backdoor layup, and the Pioneers sealed the victory with free throws in the final minute.

Denver went 21-of-42 (50.0 percent) in shots from the field and held Lamar to 17-of-37 (45.9 percent). The Pioneers committed just nine turnovers, while causing 17 by the Cardinals.

The Pioneers head up to Fort Collins on Saturday to take on the Colorado State Rams at 7 p.m. MT. You can listen on Denver radio AM950.