Inertia

Men's Basketball

Late-game heroics send No. 7 Denver past No. 2 Kansas City

The Basics
Score: No. 7 Denver 61, No. 2 Kansas City 60
Records: Kansas City (16-16, 10-6 SL), Denver (16-16, 6-10 SL)
Location: Denny Sanford PREMIER Center - Sioux Falls, S.D
 


SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – No. 7 Denver got a pair of big plays in the final seconds to inch past No. 2 Kansas City, 61-60, and advance to the Summit League Men's Basketball Tournament semifinals. 
 
Isaiah Addo-Ankrah hit a go-ahead three with 5.9 seconds left and Pedro Lopez-Vincente rejected Khristion Courseault at the rim as the buzzer sounded to seal the win. The late drama reversed what had been a 12-point halftime deficit for the upset-minded Pioneers. 
 
Tommy Bruner, the nation’s leading scorer, led the way with a game-high 16 points, all which came in the second half. 
 
“We’ve been a resilient team all season and when things look their darkest we seem to find ways to get things done,” said DU head coach Jeff Wulbrun. 
 
It was a rugged first half for the Pioneers. 
 
Kansas City’s league-leading defense held DU to just 28 percent shooting before the break, and closed the half on a 10-0 run to take a double digit lead into the locker room. Bruner attempted just one shot in the first half after having left the previous game with an injury and, according to Wulbrun, not practicing all week. 
 
The Pioneers quickly flipped the script out of the break. 
 
DU started the second half on an 18-4 run as Bruner began to find openings against the Roos defense. DU took its first lead on a Jaxon Brenchley three with 12:16 left, and from there the teams traded buckets until the final minutes. 
 
Despite shooting just 33.3 percent in the second half, the Roos seemed to have clawed their way back late. 
 
Trailing by three points with 1:46 left, Kansas City got back-to-back steals from Babacar Diallo and Jayson Petty, respectively, to eventually build their own three-point lead with 43 seconds left. However, missed free throws opened the door for the Pioneers, and Addo-Ankrah and Lopez-Sanvicente made big plays to seal the win for DU. 
 
“This is one of the first days of pain and joy and unfortunately we came out on the losing end,” said Kansas City head coach Marvin Menzies.
 
DU advances to Monday’s semifinals, where the Pioneers await the winner of No. 3 North Dakota and No. 6 Omaha in Monday's second semifinal at 8:30 p.m. CT. 
 
Turning Point 
The Roos were unable to salt the game away at the free throw line with two misses in the final 29 seconds as DU scored the final  
 
Inside the Box Score
  • The Pioneers nearly doubled their scoring output in the second half, scoring 40 points after managing just 21 in the first half. 
  • DeAndre Craig scored 13 points and tied a season-high against a Division I opponent with seven rebounds.
  • Tommy Bruner, the nation's leading scorer, tallied all 16 of his points during DU's second-half comeback.
  • Cameron Faas led the way for the Roos with 14 points, including three three pointers in the game’s first 3:25 minutes.  
News & Notes 
  • The Roos came to Sioux Falls with their highest seed since also earning the No. 2 seed in 2005. 
  • Denver won its first Summit League Tournament game since 2018.
  • The last one-point at the men's tournament was in the 2019 semifinals when No. 2 Omaha defeated No. 3 Purdue Fort Wayne, 61-60.
  • This was the first meeting between Kansas City and Denver in the Summit League Tournament
  • All seven lead changes happened in the final 12:16 of the game
  • Kansas City fell to 6-20 all time in the tournament all time and is still looking for its first win since returning to the League in 2020-21 (0-4).
  • The Pioneers advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2018.
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