SAN JOSE, Calif. - University of Denver men's basketball junior Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas) scored his 1,000th career point - part of a 13-points, five-rebound, five-assist, five-steal performance - to lead the Pioneers to a 62-41 victory over San Jose State at Event Center on Saturday night.
Senior Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) had 13 points for the Pioneers (17-8, 13-2 WAC), and sophomore Royce O'Neale (Killeen, Texas) added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
"We knew it might be sluggish after a big win on Thursday, but credit our guys for staying in there and battling," said head coach Joe Scott. "Our defense was really good all night, and our offense finally broke out. San Jose State played extremely hard all night, and we needed to match their competitiveness, and we did."
The Pioneers, who finished their WAC road slate at 7-2, shot 53.3 percent (24-of-45) from the field and 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from three-point range, while going a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
San Jose State (9-16, 3-11 WAC) turned the ball over 18 times, resulting in 21 points for the Pioneers. The Spartans shot just 31.7 percent (13-of-41) from the floor, 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from three-point range and 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from the free throw line.
Denver shot 50.0 percent (11-of-22) from the floor in the first half but was hampered by 10 turnovers. However, San Jose State struggled with only 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) shooting and 13 turnovers that resulted in 15 DU points, and the Pioneers took a 28-14 advantage to halftime.
The Pioneers take a short break from conference play to take part in the Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters next week. Denver travels to Northern Iowa for a matchup on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. MT, which will air live on ESPN3.com.
Visit denverpioneers.com for complete coverage of all 17 of DU's Division I athletic programs.
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