DENVER – Joe Rosga scored the first 13 points of the game for Denver en route to a game-high 23 points as the South Dakota men's basketball team fell 84-68 in Denver Saturday.
 
The Coyotes suffer their first Summit League road loss and are 6-2 in conference action and 18-6 overall. Denver, who won its third-straight game, improves to 10-12 overall and 4-4 in the loop.  
 
Behind Rosga's 13 points to start the game, Denver built a lead of 20-3 to take control of the game early on. Tyler Hagedorn hit a 3-point basket with 10:47 remaining in the first half to stop a 16-0 Pioneer run but DU was able to build a 22-point lead with 4:17 remaining in the half.
 
The Coyotes then used a 10-1 run to bring the deficit down to 13 points at 39-26 with 59 seconds remaining in the half. Matt Mooney sank a pair of free throws to start the run while Nick Fuller had a tip-in basket to continue the run.
 
After a Denver free throw, Tyler Peterson and Triston Simpson scored back-to-back layups before Hagedorn capped the run with a layup on his own. The Coyotes entered intermission trailing 42-28.
 
South Dakota chipped away at the Denver lead and cut the deficit to nine points when Peterson found Simpson open for a 3-point basket and a 51-42 score with 14:49 on the clock. However, Denver answered immediately on a Daniel Amigo dunk to spark a quick 7-0 run for the Pioneers.
 
After the Pioneers' run, the Coyotes were able to get within 11 points when Simpson found Mooney for a 3-point basket with 5:57 remaining in the game but that is the closest USD would get as Denver claimed the 84-68 victory.
 
South Dakota shot 39.1 percent from the field on 25-of-64 field goal attempts. Hagedorn scored a team-high 16 points as Mooney added 14 and Simpson 12. Trey Burch-Manning and Hagedorn each grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. Peterson dished four assists, his fourth-straight game of three or more assists. Mooney tallied a game-high four steals.
 
After Rosga's 23 points, Jake Pemberton tallied 22 points to lead the Pioneers who shot 55.4 percent from the field, making 31-of-56 shot attempts.
 
South Dakota travels to Western Illinois Thursday for a rematch with the Leathernecks. The Coyotes topped WIU 62-50 on Jan. 2 in Vermillion. Tip-off from Macomb, Illinois, is slated for 7 p.m.