AVILA, Spain - The University of Denver men's basketball team concluded its tour of Spain with a 64-60 victory over Caja de Avila at Municipal Carlos Sastre on Saturday afternoon.
"We came here because Spain has one of the best two leagues in Europe along with Italy," head coach Joe Scott said. "I think these six games proved that. Every game, the opponents were really big, strong and older. They were very had games because they're pros, they're good players, and tonight was no different."
The Pioneers struggled a little on the offensive end, hitting 22-of-57 (38.6 percent) from the field, but used good defense as a spark.
Trailing by four points, Denver went on an 11-1 run to end the third quarter and held off a surge by Caja de Avila late in the fourth quarter.
"We played back-to-back nights, and what sometimes goes is the offense, which happened tonight," Scott said. "What doesn't go is defense, and that's what we've been stressing. Good defense has to be a staple, because good defense doesn't come and go. Shooting does. Tonight, our defense did it for us."
Guard Kyle Lewis (Denver, Colo.) and center Trevor Noonan (Broomfield, Colo.) had 11 points each. Guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) added a team-best nine rebounds and guard Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) added eight points and six rebounds.
The first half was always within two possessions, as the teams traded the lead several times until Denver took a 34-30 lead into halftime. Stafford had nine points and five rebounds before the break.
The Pioneers finished their trip through Spain with a 4-2 record with two losses coming to teams in the ACB, Spain's version of the NBA. The team will return to Denver tomorrow, and the first official practice of the season will be held on Oct. 15.




















