GAME NOTES: The Denver Pioneers hope to avoid their first losing streak of the season as they tangle with the Stanford Cardinal in a non-conference tilt at Maples Pavilion.

Denver has alternated wins with losses through its first eight games to arrive at a 4-4 record. The Pioneers were defeated, 65-55, by Northern Iowa at home on Wednesday due to their struggles scoring from the perimeter. Denver hit on 13-of-19 of its shots from inside the arc, but converted only 7-of-23 tries from 3-point range. The Panthers finished the game with a 21-13 advantage in total rebounds.

Stanford has been inactive since falling, 87-72, at DePaul on Nov. 30. The Blue Demons outscored coach Johnny Dawkins's unit, 21-12, from beyond the arc and also, 18-8, at the free-throw line. The Cardinal are 3-0 at Maples Pavilion with all three victories coming by double-digit margins. They are an offensive-minded team with the fourth-best scoring offense in the Pac-12 (77.0 ppg) and the ninth-ranked scoring defense (66.0 ppg).

All five starters scored in double-figures for Stanford in the setback at DePaul, but Dorian Pickens registered all the team's bench points in the contest with one traditional three-point play. Senior guard Chasson Randle tallied 16 points and six assists, but also committed seven of the Cardinal's 21 turnovers. Senior center Stefan Nastic also finished with 16 points, but pulled down only three boards. Randle (17.7 ppg) is ranked fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring, Nastic (15.2 ppg) is eighth and Anthony Brown is 15th with 13.8 ppg.

Denver, which is 1-3 on the road, is led by Cam Griffin. The senior guard is averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists on the season and has scored in double-figures in seven of the eight games. Senior guard Brett Olson is posting 10.3 ppg and 4.1 apg, but showed he is capable of more in 2013-14 when he netted 14.5 ppg on 47.7 percent efficiency from the floor. Junior guard Nate Engesser is averaging 10.9 ppg despite clocking just over 20 minutes per outing. As a team, the Pioneers are ranked seventh in the Summit League in scoring offense (61.6 ppg), despite leading the conference in assists per game with 16.1.

Stanford is 9-2 all-time against Denver, having won the last six meetings. This marks the third straight season these schools are meeting. The Cardinal downed the Pioneers, 66-57, in Denver last November.

The Pioneers are a very undersized team as 6-foot-7 Marcus Byrd is the tallest starter. Stanford is one of the better rebounding squads in the Pac-12, which it also leads in free-throw percentage. Denver's outside shooting will have to be extremely accurate if it hopes to pick up its first win outside of Magness Arena.