SANTA CLARA, Calif. The University of Denver men’s basketball team had a five-point lead with 39 seconds remaining in regulation, but Santa Clara came storming back to beat the Pioneers 74-65 in overtime at the Leavey Center on Friday night.

 

“We’re getting better, but learning how to win games on the road is part of the process,” head coach Joe Scott said. “We were playing an all-freshman backcourt in the final minute. They’ve never been in this situation before. We’ll get better from the experience, and we are getting better.”

 

Santa Clara (8-5) led by as many as eight points in the first half, but Denver (4-7) clawed its way back. Freshman guard Kyle Lewis (Denver, Colo.) hit a trio of three-pointers in the half, including two-straight with less than four minutes to play before the break, and DU headed to halftime trailing 28-25.

 

After Broncos center John Bryant opened the second half, senior center Adam Tanner (Melbourne, Australia) hit two buckets and added a free throw on the second to tie the game. A three-pointer by senior forward David Kummer (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) gave the Pioneers their first lead of the game with 18 minutes to play.

 

The teams traded baskets the rest of the half, as the lead changed nine times and the teams tied five times.

 

Denver pushed its lead to five points when sophomore Nate Rohnert (Parker, Colo.) hit a pair of free throws with 49 seconds left. Bryant cut the lead to three by burying two free throws with 39 seconds left, and Santa Clara guard Brody Angley tied the game with a three-pointer over solid defense with 27 seconds left in regulation.

 

Freshman forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) fired up a shot as time expired, but the ball bounced off the front of the rim, and the game went to overtime.

 

Santa Clara rolled in overtime, scoring the first seven points and outscoring DU 13-4 during the extra period.

 

The Pioneers continues to the consolation game of the Cable Car Classic, taking on the loser of the game between Niagara and Morgan State at 7 p.m. MT. The game can be heard on Pioneer Vision at www.DenverPioneers.com or Mile High Sports Radio AM 1510.