LAFAYETTE, La. - Sophomore guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) scored 16 points, all in the second half, but the University of Denver men's basketball team fell 55-49 to Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday night at the Cajundome.

The Pioneers (12-6, 5-2 SBC) trailed by as many as 21 points in the second half, but DU stormed back with a 19-3 run to cut the ULL lead to 47-44 with 2:22 left in the game.

Louisiana-Lafayette (6-10, 3-2 SBC) hit five free throws in the final minute to hold onto the lead.

"We let Louisiana-Lafayette feel good about themselves right from the start, and that's not a good recipe for success on the road," head coach Joe Scott said. "I have to give credit to Stafford, Chase, Chen and Coughlin for fighting and giving us a chance at the end, but overall I'm not very happy with our performance."

Denver struggled in the first half, shooting just 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from the field and hitting 1-of-8 from behind the arc. However, junior forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored the last seven points of the half to cut the ULL lead to 30-17.

ULL's Chris Gradnigo scored 18 points to lead all scorers, and Tyren Johnson had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Pioneers complete this two-game road trip at Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday at noon MT. The game will be broadcast live on the Sun Belt Network, as well as tape delayed on FSN Rocky Mountain at 9 p.m. MT.