2011-12 DU Season Highlights - University of Denver Athletics

“For us to be able to come out
of that nonconference schedule with
some of the wins that we had was really
impressive, especially with the young
team that we had,” Johnson said. “Beating
the University of Minnesota had to be
one of the most memorable moments.
Minnesota ended up having some great
wins over top 25 opponents. I thought us
being able to keep up with Oregon and its
run-and-gun style off ense and ultimately
run them out of the gym was also a really
special moment.”
Entering the Chevron Rainbow
Wahine Shooutout in Honolulu in late
December, the Pioneers boasted an 8-3
overall record and were ranked in the RPI
top 50 for the fi rst time in program history.
Despite dropping four of its fi nal fi ve
games before New Year’s Day, Denver was
able to fi nd some stability in the absence
of sophomore guard Quincey Noonan
(Broomfi eld, Colo.), who missed half the
season with an injury.
Freshman guard Morgan Van Riper-
Rose (Eden Prairie, Minn.) fi lled the
off ensive void left by Noonan, making
her fi rst start against Portland State and
scoring 18 points in 34 minutes. Van Riper-
Rose went on to become a key contributor
during the conference portion of Denver’s
schedule, as the Pioneers won seven of
their fi rst eight games of the new year,
including the program’s fi rst victory over
Arkansas-Little Rock since 2007.
“With Quincey Noonan out of the
lineup, Morgan Van Riper-Rose and Jordan
Johnston (Waterloo, Iowa) really had to
step up as freshmen and move into those
roles,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately we
had to deal with some injuries early on in
conference play, but we still were able to
www.DenverPioneers.com
get a huge win over Arkansas-Little Rock. I
was really proud of our team and our staff
for not feeling sorry for ourselves and not
worrying about who’s out but who’s in.”
Riding a six-game winning streak
heading into their matchup against the
SBC’s top team in Middle Tennessee, the
Pioneers were hoping that momentum
would lead them to their fi rst win over the
Blue Raiders in the Johnson-era. However,
despite dropping a closely played contest
with the Blue Raiders and two-straight
conference road games, the Pioneers
fi nished strong and ended the regular
season on a three-game winning streak,
including the Crimson and Gold’s 600th
program victory in a win over Louisiana-
Monroe at home.
After ending their fi nal season in the
Sun Belt with an 11-5 conference record,
the Pioneers earned their second-straight
fi rst round bye in the SBC Championships.
The Pioneers faced FIU, the No. 3 seed
from the East Division, and attempted to
avenge the regular season loss suff ered
just a month earlier. However, a secondhalf
surge from the Panthers sealed a 67-
59 win, ending the Pioneers’ season.
Although Denver’s season was cut
shorter than expected, the Pioneers are
optimistic about the 2012-13 season. New
head coach Kerry Cremeans and her staff
take over a wealth of talent returning,
along with a group of newcomers who
will look to make an immediate impact at
the college level. Furthermore, Denver is
looking forward to the change of scenery
next season as it tries to make its mark in
the Western Athletic Conference.
YEAR IN REVIEW
Controlling the tip ......................................................................... 9-4
Opponent controls the tip .......................................................10-9
Scoring fi rst ...................................................................................... 6-6
Opponent scores fi rst ................................................................13-7
Leading at the half ......................................................................15-5
Trailing at the half ......................................................................... 2-7
Tied at the Half ............................................................................... 2-0
In overtime ...................................................................................... 0-0
When DU out-rebounds opponents.....................................13-2
When DU is out-rebounded ....................................................6-10
When rebounds are the same ................................................... 0-0
When DU commits more turnovers ........................................ 7-5
When DU forces more turnovers ...........................................10-6
When Turnovers are the same .................................................. 2-1
When DU has more free throw attempts ............................10-4
When Opp. has more free throw attempts .......................... 8-7
When free throw attempts are the same .............................. 1-1
When DU shoots 50% or better from the fi eld ................... 5-1
When DU shoots less than 50% from the fi eld ...............14-11
When Opp. shoots 50% or better from the fi eld ................ 1-1
When Opp. shoots less than 50% from the fi eld ............18-10
When DU shoots better than Opp. from the fi eld ...........17-3
When Opp. shoots better than DU from the fi eld ............. 2-9
When DU shoots 40% or better from 3-point range............... 6-1
When DU shoots less than 40% from 3-point range .........13-11
When DU shoots better than Opp. from 3-point range .............17-3
When DU shoots 80% or better from the line ..................... 6-1
When DU shoots less than 80% from the line .................13-11
When DU bench outscores Opp. bench ................................ 9-4
When Opp. bench outscores DU bench ................................ 9-8
When bench scoring is the same ............................................. 1-0
When two or more players score in double fi gures .......... 17-5
When three or more players score in double fi gures ...........10-1
When four or more players score in double fi gures.......... 5-0
When fi ve or more players score in double fi gures........... 1-0
In November ................................................................................... 5-1
In December .................................................................................... 5-5
In January ......................................................................................... 6-1
In February ....................................................................................... 4-3
In March ............................................................................................ 0-1
In April ............................................................................................... 0-0
On Monday ...................................................................................... 2-1
On Tuesday ...................................................................................... 0-1
On Wednesday ............................................................................... 8-1
On Thursday .................................................................................... 2-2
On Friday .......................................................................................... 1-1
On Saturday ..................................................................................... 3-5
On Sunday........................................................................................ 3-1
Starting Line-Up
Murdoch, Michel, Noonan, Shell, Smith ..............................10-6
Murdoch, Michel, Van Riper-Rose, Shell, Smith .................. 5-5
Murdoch, Michel, Van Riper-Rose, Johnston, Smith ......... 3-1
PIONEERS IN THE NCAA Player Rank Actual National Leader Actual
Points Per Game Murdoch 76 16.5 Elena Delle Donne, Delaware 28.1
Rebounds Per Game Maiya 254 6.9 Courtney Hurt, VCU 13.1
Assists Per Game Smith 9 6.5 Angel Goodrich, Kansas 7.4
Blocked Shots Per Game Murdoch 83 1.58 Brittney Griner, Baylor 5.15
Field-Goal Percentage Murdoch 14 53.2 Tianna Hawkins, Maryland 62.3
Free-Throw Percentage Smith/Murdoch 223/254 73.4/72.1 Abby Oliver, Richmond 93.8
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage - - - Courtney Ingersoll, Toledo 44.2
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game Van Riper-Rose 143 1.84 Diana Choibekova, Winthrop 3.9
Assist-Turnover Ratio Smith 72 1.55 2 Players 2.67
41