HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — The Denver Pioneers’ run in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament ended Monday night with a 67-63 loss in the semifinals to Western Kentucky.
The Pioneers (22-9) had the ball trailing 65-63 with the game on the line in the closing seconds, but couldn’t convert on a 3-point shot by senior guard Brian Stafford, and then a shot inside by DU freshman Royce O’Neale was blocked.
Coach Joe Scott said the Pioneers had a good situation on that final possession.
“In the grand scheme of things, I can live with getting Stafford a 3 and having (Chris) Udofia rolling to the basket to get an offensive rebound, and the same with O’Neale,” he said. “Again, it just didn’t work for us. It just didn’t fall our way there at the end.”
Western Kentucky faces North Texas in the final at 5 p.m. today. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
The game was decided largely at the free-throw line, where the Hilltoppers made 24-of-34 attempts. The Pioneers attempted only 16 free throws and made 12.
“It seemed like the ball rolled around and in for them, and it was rolling around and out for us,” Scott said. He credited his team for fighting hard and staying in the game.
“Like I told our guys in here, you know, the next little thing for us is getting really good at winning a game when things aren’t going exactly the way you want them,” he said. “But this time of year, you’ve got to be really good at it because every game’s going to be like that. That’s just the way March is.”
The Pioneers were led by Stafford with 19 points, including three 3-point shots.
This year’s 22 wins are a school record, but Scott expressed hope that the season hasn’t ended for his seniors.
“I know a postseason team when I see one,” Scott said. “You know, that’s what we are.”
The Pioneers were trailing 60-58 with 2:36 left in the game when Stafford hit a 3-pointer to give the Pioneers a lead.
Western Kentucky (14-18) responded with a small rally to take a 64-61 lead. Stafford had a driving layup with 33 seconds left to cut the lead to 64-63, but that was it for the offense.
