Inertia

Men's Basketball

No. 7 Denver pulls off second upset to reach first final in program history

The Basics
Score: No. 7 Denver 66, No. 6 Omaha 63
Records: Denver (17-16, 6-10 SL), Omaha (15-18, 7-9 SL)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D



SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Denver ended a 19-year drought where a No. 7 seed had not advanced to the title game of the Summit League Men's Basketball Tournament. The Pioneers achieved the rare feat thanks to a 66-63 victory over No. 6 Omaha in Monday's second semifinal at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. 

Led by the nation's leading scorer Tommy Bruner, the Pioneers saw a 12-point first half lead evaporate and turn into a seven-point deficit early in the second half.

Bruner, who finished with 23 points opened the game on a personal 9-0 run after hitting three consecutive triples.  DU's lead would grow to 16-4 before Frankie Fidler and Omaha settled into the contest.

The Mavericks' hero from the quarterfinal-win over North Dakota the night before, led all scorers with 27 points but his squad was unable to clinch what would have been the program's third title-game appearance and first since 2019.

Advancing one more round looked promising at times as the Mavericks erased the double-digit deficit by halftime and took a 34-32 lead into the break.  Fidler had 16 first-half points, while Bruner had 14 as the League's top two scorers went toe-to-toe. 
 
Omaha was able to build some momentum as Denver went scoreles over a nearly six-minute span that covered the end of the first half to the start of the second half. Freshman Deandre Craig would end that skid with a corner triple, which found DU only trailing by three at 38-35. He would finish with 15, which was just two of his season high.

The Mavericks would respond by building a seven-point advantage before Bruner, Craig and company came charging back to regain the lead at 46-44. 

DU's rally set the stage for yet another wild ending to the men's session that has seen all three of its finales decided by a combined five points. 

Utah transfer Jaxon Brenchley scored seven of his eight points in that back-and-forth between the two teams over the final seven minutes.

Craig made a pullup with 2:47 to play to push the Pioneers' lead to four, which would be their biggest of the half as the Mavericks had some chances down the stretch but Fidler, who had made over 200 free throws on the season, could not convert on some important ones down the stretch.

Fidler had one last chance on a heave from well beyond halfcourt that was off the mark.

Denver will play top-seeded South Dakota State in the men's title game at 8:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.  These two teams split their regular season matchups with the Pioneers winning by 17 at home and the Jackrabbits winning by 27 on their home court.

Turning Point 
Brenchley broke a 58-58 tie with a driving layup at the 4:13 mark and Craig hit a pullup jumper just over a minute later to give DU enough cushion to secure the program's first title-game appearance.
 
Inside the Box Score
  • Craig scored 15 to reach double figures for the third straight game, which is the most he has done that during his freshman season.  
  • Bruner scored 23 points and has reached the 20-plus plateau 22 times this season.
  • Filder finished with a game-high 27 points and is now averaging 25.4 ppg during five career Summit League Tournament games. He reached 20-plus in scoring 17 different times.
News & Notes 
  • The win secured Denver's first appearance in the Summit League Tournament title game.
  • The final game of each of the men's sessions over the last three days have been decided by a combined five points.
  • The Pioneers are now 7-0 on the season when holding opponents under 70, which they have done in both of their tournament victories.
  • North Dakota was the last No. 6 seed to advance to the final when the Fighting Hawks fell, 89-53, to top seed NDSU in 2020. The only other No. 6 seed that made it to the title game was Chicago State in 2006 (L, 85-72 vs. (1) Oral Roberts).  
  • The last No. 7 seed to advance to the finals was Oakland in 2005, who won the title with a 61-60 victory over No. 1 seed Oral Roberts. The Pioneers are the third to achieve the feat in 40 all-time Summit League Tournaments.
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