MONROE, La. Freshman forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored a career-high 21 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, but the University of Denver men’s basketball team fell to Louisiana-Monroe 53-48 on Saturday night at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

               

“We had a chance to win with a five-point lead in the second half, but give them credit for making big shot down the stretch,” head coach Joe Scott said. “We need to learn to hold onto those leads and to be the ones making the big shots at the end of the game.”

 

Rob Lewis scored 11 points in a first half that had four lead changes and four ties. ULM went on a 10-2 run in the final seven minutes before junior guard Joe Jackson (New Orleans, La.) scored a layup with 34 seconds left to send the Pioneers (11-14, 7-7 SBC) to the lockerroom trailing 27-21.

 

ULM (10-16, 4-10 SBC) opened the second half with three quick points, but Rob Lewis led a charge back into the game, scoring eight-straight points to start a 15-0 DU run that put Denver ahead on a three-pointer by Jackson with just under 10 minutes left in the contest.

 

After DU stretched the lead to five on a Rob Lewis follow, the Warhawks responded by ripping off a 13-1 run, including eight points by Tony Hooper, pushing the ULM lead back to seven with 4:59 to play.

 

Denver pulled to within three points on a runner by sophomore forward Nate Rohnert (Parker, Colo.) with 58 seconds left, but the Warhawks converted on five free throws in the final minute to clinch the victory.

 

Rohnert added 13 points for the Pioneers, and Hooper had a game-high 23 points for the Warhawks.

                           

Freshman guard Xander McNally (San Francisco, Calif.) had four steals for the second-straight game, giving him 15 in the last three contests and raising his season total to 54 steals.

 

The Pioneers return home for the final two regular season games at Magness Arena. DU takes on Middle Tennessee on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. before facing New Orleans on Sunday at 4 p.m. MT.