Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

1/27/2012 at 8:39am

Chris Udofia matched a career high with 21 points to lead Denver past Arkansas State 66-52 Thursday night.

It was the third time Udofia has reached 21 in his career. Brian Stafford added 15 points for Denver (16-5, 6-2 Sun Belt), which has won five of its last seven games and is off to its best NCAA Division I start.

The Pioneers made 11 of 23 3-point tries, with Udofia and Brett Olson making three apiece. They completed a sweep of the Red Wolves despite the absence of center Rob Lewis, out with a sore left hip.

Malcolm Kirkland had 19 points to lead Arkansas State (9-13, 3-5). Marcus Hooten scored eight points for the Red Wolves, losers of four of their last five.

Arkansas State is 2-8 on the road, where it plays four of its next five games.

Denver held the Red Wolves without a field goal for the first five minutes of the game and used an eight-point possession to lead 28-21 at halftime. The Pioneers led 10-2 before Kirkland made Arkansas State's first basket.

Rakeem Dickerson's running one-hander got the Red Wolves within 20-19 with 2:50 left in the half. Then Stafford made a 3-pointer and after Arkansas State's Trey Finn was whistled for a flagrant foul, Jeff Coughlin followed with a pair of free throws. The Pioneers kept the ball and Olson sank a 3-pointer for a 28-19 lead with 1:28 left.

Udofia and Olson had 3-pointers in a 10-2 run at the start of the second half, extending Denver's lead to 38-23. Kirkland's hook shot got the Red Wolves as close as 38-29, but the lead was back to 15 when Stafford and Udofia followed turnovers with 3-pointers.

Udofia's layup gave Denver its biggest lead, 58-38, with 6:25 remaining. Arkansas State never came closer than 14 the rest of the way.

The Pioneers forced 17 turnovers and turned them into 27 points.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Tagged: Arkansas State Red Wolves, ASU Red Wolves, John Brady, Malcolm Kirkland, Denver Pioneers