ENGESSER’S 14 HELP PIONEERS WIN ON ROAD

macomb, ill. » Nate Engesser scored 14 points Thursday night in his first start of the season, and the University of Denver used a balanced effort to hold on for a 76- 69 victory over Western Illinois.

“A big road win for us,” DU coach Joe Scott said. “We played well. Our guys showed maturity in not allowing Saturday’s tough ( loss) to affect our play.”

The Pioneers ( 10- 8, 2- 3 Summit League) had a 39- 21 lead before Western Illinois rallied in the second half.

Marcus Byrd, Joe Rosga and Bryant Rucker scored 11 points apiece for DU, and Duke Douglas chipped in 10 points.

J. C. Fuller led Western Illinois with a game- high 17 points.

HIGHLIGHTS

Martin Breuning’s 22 points helped Montana hold on for a 73- 66 victory over Northern Colorado. Jordan Wilson scored 19 points to lead the Bears, who are 1- 4 in Big Sky play. … Peter Jok scored 19 of his 23 points in the first half to help No. 16 Iowa build a huge lead, and the visiting Hawkeyes went on to rout No. 4 Michigan State 7659. The Hawkeyes, who improved to 4- 0 in the Big Ten, dominated the Spartans for the second time in two weeks and beat them on the road for the first time since 1993, ending an 18- game losing streak. … Ryan Anderson led five Wildcats in double figures with 21 points, and No. 18 Arizona cruised to a 99- 67 victory over Washington. … Chinanu Onuaku’s 18 points and 10 rebounds led

No. 21 Louisville to a 59- 41 victory over No. 20 Pittsburgh. … Kyle Davis’ 12 points and 11 rebounds led

BYU to a 69- 68 victory over No. 25 Gonzaga. Kyle Wiltjer had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Gonzaga, but his would- be gamewinning jumper with only four seconds remaining was off the mark.