LAFAYETTE, La. - University of Denver freshman forward Chris Udofia (Irving, Texas)  and sophomore guard Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) both had 13 points, but the Pioneers lost a 58-52 heartbreaker in overtime against Louisiana-Lafayette at the Cajundome on Thursday night.

"It was a heartbreaker. We played extremely tough and extremely well," head coach Joe Scott said. "We need to learn to call timeouts in tough situations and reward our effort by making foul shots.  It was a very good college basketball game, and give Louisiana-Lafayette credit for doing what they had to do to win the game."

Denver (13-15, 9-6 SBC) led 50-48 with a minute left in regulation, but ULL's La'Ryan Gary was fouled and made both free throws to tie it. The Pioneers had a chance at the end of regulation, but Udofia's follow tip rattled around the rim and fell just wide.

Junior guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) gave the Pioneers a quick lead in the extra period, scoring two of his 11 points on a jumper in the paint, but Louisiana-Lafayette (13-14, 10-5 SBC) tied it on a bucket by Josh Brown, and the Ragin' Cajuns made 6-of-9 free throws in the final two minutes to take the game.

DU, which entered the game leading the Sun Belt in free throw shooting, went just 9-for-16 (56.3 percent) from the line in the game. The Pioneers were 20-of-46 (43.5 percent) from the field, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. ULL shot 17-of-37 (45.9 percent) from the field.

Junior guard Travis Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) added 10 points, while Udofia added a game-high six rebounds and three blocked shots.

The back-and-forth first half saw nine lead changes and three ties, but Denver took a 24-22 lead to the locker rooms after shooting 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from the field and outscoring ULL 14-4 in the paint.

The Cajuns were led by Gary's 22 points, including 15 in the second half, and J.J. Thomas had 13 points.

Denver concludes the regular season at North Texas on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT. Fans can listen to it on Mile High Sports 1510 AM and 93.7 FM, and follow it on www.DenverPioneers.com.