SB Nation Denver - Middle Tennessee State Vs. Denver: Pioneers End Losing Streak, Defeat Blue Raiders, 75-60https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48907/denver-fave.png2012-02-06T16:35:11-07:00http://denver.sbnation.com/rss/stream/25355252012-02-06T16:35:11-07:002012-02-06T16:35:11-07:00Denver Pioneers' Chris Udofia Named Sun Belt Player Of The Week
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<p>On Monday, the Sun Belt Conference <a href="http://www.denverpioneers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=18600&ATCLID=205375239">named Denver Pioneers forward Chris Udofia its men's basketball player of the week</a>. Udofia had a big week for Denver, which included a 27-point performance in his team's win over the Sun Belt's first place team.</p>
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<p>Udofia averaged 19.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 blocked shots and 1.5 steals in two games last week. In front of a national audience on ESPN2, Udofia exploded for a career-high 27 points and nine rebounds - including 16 points and seven rebounds as DU pulled away in the second half - to go along with four blocked shots, leading the Pioneers to a 75-60 win over SBC-leading Middle Tennessee.</p>
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<p>This is the second time Udofia has earned player of the week honors from the Sun Belt this season. The sophomore is averaging 14.7 points per game, which ranks second in the conference.</p>
<p><i>For more info on the 2011-2012 college basketball season, head over to the SB Nation <a href="http://sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball">College Basketball news hub</a>. And be sure to stay tuned to <a href="http://denver.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Denver</a> for Pioneers updates, previews and recaps.</i></p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/denver-pioneers/2012/2/6/2776263/chris-udofia-sun-belt-player-of-the-week-denver-pioneers-ncaaSteven Muma2012-02-04T16:18:13-07:002012-02-04T16:18:13-07:00Middle Tennessee State Vs. Denver Final Score: Pioneers Pick Up 75-60 Victory Over Blue Raiders
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/denver-pioneers">Denver Pioneers</a> picked up a huge win, 75-60, over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/middle-tenn-st-blue-raiders">Middle Tenn. St. Blue Raiders</a> on Saturday afternoon. The nationally-televised ESPN2 contest saw the Pioneers hand the Blue Raiders its first Sun Belt Conference loss this season, moving to 10-1 in conference. The Pioneers moved to 17-7 overall (7-4 Sun Belt) and snapped a two-game losing streak.</p>
<p>The Pioneers were led by the strong play of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/123446/chris-udofia">Chris Udofia</a>, who scored 27 points and pulled down nine rebounds. He blocked four shots and stole the ball twice, as well. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/29603/rob-lewis">Rob Lewis</a> put in 17 points, which was better than any Middle Tennessee State scorer. As a team, Denver hit on 25-of-50 shots and made 22-of-25 free throws.</p>
<p>For Middle Tennessee State, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101672/laron-dendy">LaRon Dendy</a> overcame a poor first half to finish the game with 15 points, a team high. However, the Blue Raiders fell apart over the final minutes of the game and allowed the Pioneers to build a double-digit lead.</p>
<p>The Pioneers visit Florida Atlantic on Thursday.</p>
<p><i>For more info on the 2011-2012 college basketball season, head over to the SB Nation <a href="http://sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball">College Basketball news hub</a>. And be sure to stay tuned to <a href="http://denver.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Denver</a> for Pioneers updates, previews and recaps.</i></p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/denver-pioneers/2012/2/4/2771574/denver-vs-middle-tennessee-state-final-score-pioneers-basketballRuss Oates2012-02-04T15:06:28-07:002012-02-04T15:06:28-07:00Middle Tennsee State Vs. Denver Halftime Score: Pioneers Take 3-Point Lead, 34-31
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/denver-pioneers">Denver Pioneers</a> certainly are providing a compelling contest for fans at Magness Arena and those watching across the nation on ESPN2 this Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers lead the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/middle-tenn-st-blue-raiders">Middle Tenn. St. Blue Raiders</a> at halftime, 34-31.</p>
<p>The Pioneers saw <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/29603/rob-lewis">Rob Lewis</a> score the first eight points for the team, but it became a team effort after that. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/123446/chris-udofia">Chris Udofia</a> has a game-high 11 points, and he has come up with two big blocks. Royce O'Neale has contributed seven points from off the bench.</p>
<p>As a team, the Pioneers are shooting 50 percent on 11-of-22 shots and have made all 11 free throws. The team could do a bit more rebounding, as they the Blue Raiders lead that, 12-7. But, the Pioneers have made five steals and taken advantage of 10 Middle Tennessee State turnovers.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101672/laron-dendy">LaRon Dendy</a> averages slightly less than 14 points per game, but so far he has been held to just three points for Middle Tennessee. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/101271/j-t-sulton">J.T. Sulton</a> leads with eight points.</p>
<p><i>For more info on the 2011-2012 college basketball season, head over to the SB Nation <a href="http://sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball">College Basketball news hub</a>. And be sure to stay tuned to <a href="http://denver.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Denver</a> for Pioneers updates, previews and recaps.</i></p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/denver-pioneers/2012/2/4/2771488/denver-pioneers-basketball-vs-middle-tennessee-halftime-scoreRuss Oates2012-02-04T09:28:19-07:002012-02-04T09:28:19-07:00Middle Tennessee State Vs. Denver: Pioneers Make Rare ESPN Appearance
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<p>The Denver Pioneers make a national television appearance on ESPN2 when they host Middle Tennessee on Saturday.</p> <p>Magness Arena in Denver will no doubt be buzzing when the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/denver-pioneers">Denver Pioneers</a> host the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Saturday afternoon. With two of the top teams in the Sun Belt conference facing off, there will be a national audience looking in on ESPN2 to see which team comes away with the win. Middle Tennessee has been terrific so far this season, amassing an impressive 21-3 record overall and a perfect 10-0 conference record. The Pioneers have also put together an impressive resume at 16-7 overall, but they have lost three of their last four games against Sun Belt opponents and are now just 6-4 against conference opponents.</p>
<p>The good news for the Pioneers is that they are still a very respectable 10-2 at home this season. The Pioneers are led by senior guard <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/53636/brian-stafford">Brian Stafford</a> (14.3 points per game and a .478 three-point field goal percentage) and sophomore forward <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/123446/chris-udofia">Chris Udofia</a> (14.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game). Stafford had a streak of double-digit scoring in seven-straight games snapped on Thursday, when he scored only three points in a loss to the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/louisiana-lafayette-ragin-cajuns">Louisiana Ragin Cajuns</a>. That performance marked only the third time in his four-year career that Stafford has been prevented from making a single field goal. The senior leader will have to reach his production levels from the previous seven games if Denver hopes to come away with a win over the Blue Raiders.</p>
<p>How good has Middle Tennessee been so far this season? Consider the following information provided by <a href="http://www.denverpioneers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=10877&DB_OEM_ID=18600&ATCLID=205373779" target="_blank">DenverPioneers.com</a>:</p>
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<p>The Blue Raiders are leading the SBC in scoring offense (72.3 points per game), scoring defense (60.5 per game), scoring margin (+11.8), field goal percentage (.495), field goal percentage defense (.384) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.306), and they are second in blocked shots (4.9 per game), assists (15.0 per game) and steals (7.5 per game). MTSU is led by LaRon Dendy's 13.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots, all of which rank in the top 10 in the SBC. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/145693/marcos-knight">Marcos Knight</a> is adding 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds, and JT Sulton has an average of 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/145692/bruce-massey">Bruce Massey</a> is sixth in the SBC with 3.7 assists per game. </p>
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<p>Here is some basic information to help you find the game on Saturday.</p>
<p><b>Game date, time:</b> 2:00 PM CT, Saturday, February 4, 2012</p>
<p><b>Location:</b> Magness Arena, Denver, CO</p>
<p><b>TV channel:</b> ESPN2</p>
<p><b>Radio: </b>AM 1510 and FM 93.7</p>
<p><b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/odds">Spread</a>: </b>Denver is currently favored by 2 points. The over/under is currently set at 125 points.</p>
<p><b>Web:</b> ESPN3.com, <a href="http://www.denverpioneers.com/?SPID=10877&DB_OEM_ID=18600">Pioneers homepage</a></p>
<p><i>For more info on the 2011-2012 college basketball season, head over to the SB Nation <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball">College Basketball news hub</a>. And be sure to stay tuned to <a href="http://denver.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Denver</a> for Pioneers updates, previews and recaps.</i></p>
https://denver.sbnation.com/denver-pioneers/2012/2/4/2770846/denver-pioneers-vs-middle-tennessee-state-2012-game-time-tv-espnSteve von Horn