For Haley Gross, a sophomore at the University of Denver, this was the first women’s basketball game she attended. It made her realize how little attention is paid to women’s sports.
“I think that women’s sports are severely overlooked, especially at DU, and that the turnout was a little sad,” said Gross
Fans watch excitedly as the Pioneers took an early lead [Photo by Mia Prahlad]
This opinion is shared by many on campus who see a much lower turnout for women’s sports. The fans that did show up, however, were passionate and excited, especially as the team took an early lead.
The excitement among Denver fans was palpable as Nelson scored 6 of the first 9 points, bringing the score to 9-5 and keeping that lead intact for the remainder of the game, ending the first quarter at 21-16.
Gross was very impressed with the team’s performance.
“I’m going to be honest, they’re better than the men’s team and they do not get half as much coverage,” she added.
The end of the second quarter saw a small gain for Fort Wayne as the Mastodon’s Riley Ott scored 3 points in the last 2 minutes of the quarter, bringing Fort Wayne up to only 4 points behind the Pioneers. Denver didn’t back down though, and Junior Briana Johnson scored a three-pointer at the buzzer, eliciting elated cheers from Denver’s crowd and solidifying Denver’s lead once again, bringing the score to 41-34 at half-time.
Nelson began the second half of the game strong, scoring 3 more points in the first 5 minutes, and the Pioneers offense kept going strong as they outscored Fort Wayne 21-9 in the third quarter, bringing the score to 62-43.
Tsimba Malonga, the Pioneer’s sophomore guard, is hopeful for the rest of the season.
“I think we’re on the right track right now. We won that game, and now we have South Dakota and Omaha coming up next and hopefully we’ll get those two wins, so we’re excited for that,” she said.
As far as attention for women’s sports, she agrees that there is a gap between men and women.
“I think it first starts with administration and having them want to care about women’s sports and publicizing it. I think that’s the start of it. Like lacrosse is doing well, soccer’s doing well, and women’s basketball went to WNIT last year, but it wasn’t really publicized,” Malonga said.
Denver fans relaxed in the final quarter as DU’s victory seemed inevitable, chatting and laughing while the team continued to score against Fort Wayne. In the last 10 minutes, a group of young girls began cheering wildly as Denver ramped up its offense, perhaps illustrating the impact women’s sports can have in a community. And indeed, Denver didn’t let up, finishing the game strong at 83-57.
This victory puts Denver at 10-14, 4-7 in the Summit League and bodes well as the team heads to South Dakota State on Thursday to face off against the Jackrabbits.
The MFJS Reporter -- Winter 2020 M-W 