Denver fends off furious W. Illinois rally to win 78-72 (Feb 14, 2017)
MACOMB, Ill. (AP) Daniel Amigo scored 26 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds to help Denver avoid a second-half collapse and beat Western Illinois 78-72 on Tuesday night.
Brandon Gilbeck had a pair of dunks to bring the Leathernecks within 73-72 with 1:46 to play. Thomas Neff made a pair of free throws for Denver with 20 seconds left, WIU's Garret Covington missed a double-clutch, contested 3-pointer with seven seconds left and Neff added two more at the line.
Denver (16-10, 8-5 Summit League) built a 49-27 halftime lead that it almost squandered. Western Illinois (8-16, 5-8) came roaring back with a 28-3 run to close within 56-55 with 10:26 to go.
The Leathernecks had a stretch outscoring Denver, 20-0, on 7-for-9 shooting - including 3 for 4 from 3-point range - and 3 for 5 from the foul line. Covington scored eight points during the span. The Pioneers missed all seven shots.
Ade Murkey scored 12 points for Denver, Neff added 11, and Joe Rosga had 10. Covington led the Leathernecks with 22 points and Mike Miklusak had 21.
