BROOKINGS, S.D. The University of Denver men’s basketball dropped a heartbreaker, falling to South Dakota State 56-52 at Frost Arena on Tuesday evening.

                                                                                

Freshman forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) gave the Pioneers (3-6) a two-point lead with 1:30 remaining in the contest.

 

However, Jackrabbits guard Garrett Callahan nailed a three-pointer at the 1:13 mark, and South Dakota State (5-6) buried 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to take the win.

 

“In college basketball, every possession matters, especially on the road,” head coach Joe Scott said. “We played tough and gritty and did some things right, but our mistakes in the first half came back to haunt us in the second half.”

 

In a frantic first half, the lead changed 10 times and the teams were tied five times.

 

South Dakota State stretched its lead to six with 4:33 remaining in the half, but Denver clawed back to bring the game to within a point with less than a minute remaining.

 

Jackrabbits guard Kai Williams, who entered the game shooting 24.4 percent from beyond the arc, drilled a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, sending South Dakota State into the locker room with a 30-26 lead.

 

Junior guard Joe Jackson (New Orleans, La.) led the Pioneers with 15 points, while Rob Lewis had 14 points. Senior forward David Kummer (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) added 10 points and a career-high five steals.

 

The Pioneers had a season-low six turnovers in the game, their lowest total since Dec. 15, 2001 when they had six against Colorado State.

 

Freshman guard Xander McNally (San Francisco, Calif.) had a career-high three blocks.

 

Williams led all players with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Denver begins Sun Belt Conference action against North Texas at Magness Arena on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 4 p.m. The game will be televised on FSN Rocky Mountain and on Pioneer Vision at www.DenverPioneers.com. The game can also be heard live on Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510.