Pioneers Take Conference Opener with 59-53 Win over FIU

Hooper scores 13 points as DU defeats Florida International

DENVER –The University of Denver men’s basketball team opened up Sun Belt Conference play with a 59-53 victory over Florida International on Thursday night at Magness Arena.

Junior forward Andrew Hooper (Lakewood, Colo.) went 5-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from behind the three-point arc to lead the Pioneers (7-3, 1-0 SBC) with 13 points. Sophomore guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) tacked on 11 points, while freshman forward Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) added 10 points.

“Teams don’t just go away. You have to make them go away,” head coach Joe Scott said. “I am happy that we got our first conference win and that we continue to be successful at home.”

After DU built a 40-27 lead in the second half, Florida International (3-10, 0-1 SBC) went on a 17-5 run to pull within one point with 4:51 left in the game. A layup by Hooper and three pointers by Chase Hallam and sophomore guard Travis Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) put DU on top 53-46 with 48 seconds to play. The Pioneers sealed the victory with free throws from senior Nate Rohnert (Parker, Colo.), Stafford and Sabatino Chen (Louisville, Colo.).

The Pioneers were 10-for-11 from the free throw line, as they won their sixth-straight game in Magness Arena.

Antoine Watson scored a game-high 20 points for the Panthers, who fell to 3-10 on the season and 0-1 in the SBC.

The Pioneers continue conference play as they host Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday at 4 p.m.