Late Heroics Propel Denver to 84-83 Win Over Seattle
Hooper’s three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left lifts Pioneers; Rohnert sets new career high with 34 points
DENVER – Junior Andrew Hooper (Lakewood, Colo.) drained a three-pointer from the corner with 1.8 seconds left in the game to propel the University of Denver men’s basketball team to an 84-83 victory over Seattle on Tuesday night at Magness Arena.
“All I asked was for these guys to never give up, and it paid off,” head coach Joe Scott said. “I am proud of our ability to stick with the game. It’s a Merry Christmas for the Pioneers.”
The Pioneers (9-3, 2-0 SBC) trailed by two points with four seconds remaining after Seattle’s Peter Harris went 1-for-2 from the free throw line. Junior forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) inbounded the ball from the baseline to sophomore guard Sabatino Chen (Louisville, Colo.), who immediately tipped a pass to Hooper in the corner for the game-winning basket.
Denver, which trailed 64-48 with 11:58 left in the game, chipped away at the deficit, but Seattle (6-7) maintained a five-point lead with 59 seconds left.
Layups by Chen, Lewis and sophomore guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) in the final minute brought the Pioneers to within striking distance for the shot by Hooper, who was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week earlier in the day.
Rohnert finished the night with a career-high 34 points, which gave him 1,049 points in his career and moved him into 24th on Denver’s all-time scoring list.
With their third straight victory, the Pioneers extend their home winning streak to eight games.
Next, the Pioneers travel to Greeley, Colo., to take on in-state foe Northern Colorado (10-3) on Mon., Dec. 28 at 7 p.m.
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