LAFAYETTE, La. (Jan. 6) - It was familiar territory for the University of Denver's men's basketball team. The Pioneers shot 31.0 percent from the field and dropped a 76-60 decision to Louisiana-Lafayette before 4,418 at the Cajundome in Sun Belt Conference action.
Denver (2-10, 1-2 Sun Belt Conference) looked as if it would make a run at the Ragin' Cajuns through the first 6:05 of the second half closing the gap to 12 points when Steve Simmons hit a layup at 13:55 to make the score 35-47. But that lead was short-lived as junior guard Blane Harmon led a UL-Lafayette 13-0 run during a 3:27 stretch by hitting three 3-point shots that gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 25-point lead at 60-35.
"I was so pleased with the way the guys responded in the second half," said Denver coach Marty Fletcher. "They were aggressive without making silly fouls and that's a good sign. We played like a team playing its first conference game on the road. We were tentative in the first half and really struggled shooting the ball. (UL-)Lafayette played very well in the first half and that was part of the reason we shot the ball so poorly."
Denver had a scoring run of its own late in the game to reduce UL-Lafayette's lead to 14 with 2:59 remaining in the game, but that was as close as it would get.
In the first half the Pioneers hit just 6 of 31 shots from the field and trailed 18-38 at the break, the second-largest halftime deficit for the team this season.
Louisiana-Lafayette (9-5, 2-0) got it going early and never let up. The Ragin' Cajuns took a 13-2 lead in the opening 6:18 of the game. Denver crept back to within 11 twice in the first half before their hosts went on a 10-0 run and took a 21-point lead with 3:46 remaining before the break.
Denver was led by Wahhab Carter who finished with his fourth straight double-double on 16 points and 10 rebounds. Arthur Ireland contributed 13 points for Denver and center Steve Simmons finished with a career-best 11 rebounds.
Lafayette was led by Blane Harmon's 24-point effort that included seven 3-pointers and Lonnie Thomas had 13 points as the only other Ragin' Cajuns player to finish in double figures.
The win is Lafayette's second in conference play, both of which have come against the Pioneers.