MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The University of Denver men's basketball freshman guard Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) scored 12 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, but the Pioneers fell 57-50 to Middle Tennessee at Murphy Center on Thursday night.

Senior captain Nate Rohnert (Parker, Colo.) had a team-high 13 points and five rebounds for the Pioneers (14-10, 7-6 SBC), while sophomore guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) added 10 points and five rebounds.

"We played a good 40 minutes, but we didn't finish plays when we needed to," head coach Joe Scott said. "There is no doubt that we're getting better in February, and we have to make sure we keep doing it for the rest of the month. That's the recipe to be good as you head into March. "

After shooting 50.0 percent from the field in the first half, Denver struggled from the floor in the second half hitting only 8-of-23 shots and finished the game at 42.2 percent (19-of-45). Middle Tennessee was just the opposite, struggling early but shooting 55.0 percent after the break.

The Pioneers jumped to an eight-point lead at the start of the second half, but the Blue Raiders (15-11, 10-5 SBC) stormed back with a 20-5 run to take their own eight-point lead with 10:27 remaining.

Denver clawed back to within four points in the final four minutes, but MT stretched the lead again, taking a 52-42 advantage with 1:14 on the clock.

Denver took a 25-21 lead into halftime after shooting 50.0 percent (11-of-22) from the field, while holding the Blue Raiders to just 30.8 percent (8-of-26).

Middle Tennessee's Montarrio Haddock led all players with 22 points.

The Pioneers continue their road trip with a matchup against North Texas on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT.