Denver Falls to Eastern Washington in Last-Second Heartbreaker
CHENEY, Wash. – The Denver Pioneers suffered a gut-wrenching 65-63 defeat at the hands of Eastern Washington on Wednesday, as a late go-ahead basket by the Eagles with just 1.3 seconds remaining sealed Denver’s fate. The Pioneers rallied from an early deficit to briefly take the lead in the third quarter, but ultimately couldn’t hold off a resilient Eastern Washington team.
Denver’s loss stings as they seek to build momentum in Big Sky Conference play. The Pioneers, now facing a critical stretch of games, will need to regroup quickly as they return home to face Idaho on Saturday. This game highlighted both the team’s potential for strong offensive runs and vulnerabilities in late-game execution, areas that will be crucial to address as the season progresses.
Eastern Washington opened the game with a 6-0 run and established a 25-14 lead in the first quarter, fueled by just two 3-pointers and a pair of free throws. Denver chipped away at the deficit in the second, with a three-point play from Monclova helping to close the gap, but still trailed 34-30 at halftime.
The Pioneers flipped the script in the third quarter. A 3-pointer from Ana Conde gave Denver its first lead of the game, 37-36, at the 6:50 mark. An 8-0 run followed, with Denver holding Eastern Washington scoreless for over three minutes. Karolina Padilla contributed six points during the surge, helping the Pioneers take a 52-48 lead into the fourth.
Early in the final frame, Monclova hit a 3-pointer to maintain a six-point Denver advantage, and a steal and score by Watts extended the lead to 63-59 with just over two minutes left. However, the Pioneers faltered down the stretch. Eastern Washington responded with a layup and capitalized on consecutive turnovers by Monclova, converting free throws and ultimately scoring the game-winning basket as time expired.
Denver will return to Hamilton Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. MT to face Idaho. Fans can find complete coverage of Denver’s 18 NCAA Division I sports at DenverPioneers.com. They can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook (/DenverPioneers, /DenverWomensBasketball), Twitter (@DU_Pioneers, @DU_Whoops), and Instagram (@denverpioneers, @du_whoops).
