University of Denver senior guard Cam Griffin could only nod in agreement at the comment that he is usually very proficient at driving home layups with a crowd-pleasing, extra- energy dunk.
But twice down the stretch Saturday at Magness Arena, Griffin missed his specialty to the amazement of everyone.
And with the two reprieves, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) completed a second-half comeback and a 54-53 Summit League victory over the Pioneers.
Griffin said he rushed the first missed layup.
“The second one, the defender got under me and I panicked,” he said.
Two free throws by IUPUI senior guard Khufu Najee with 12 seconds left were just enough to keep the Pioneers (10-15, 4-8 Summit) from gaining the upper hand. The Jaguars (9-17, 5-7) gained their first lead in the second half with 2:53 left in the game on DavRon Williams’ layup.
The Pioneers gained a tie at 49-49 on Marcus Byrd’s free throw, but IUPUI took the lead back on Williams’ free throw and led the rest of the way.
The final 14 seconds turned into a free-throw challenge. DU’s Brett Olson made four free throws in the 14 seconds, but Najee’s two proved to be decisive.
“I thought we moved the ball a lot better in the second half,” said IUPUI coach Jason Gardner, whose team trailed 30-20 at halftime. “We hammered down a little bit more defensively. It came down to free throws. We executed very well offensively and defensively in the second half.”
While the two missed layups were remembered, there were other factors that led to DU’s defeat.
The Jaguars grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, leading to 10 second-chance points. And they stormed the post offensively, scoring 30 points in the paint. The Pioneers were charged with 19 of the 32 fouls called in the rough action. The Jaguars hit 15-of-21 free throws.
“We played well for 20 minutes but didn’t play well for 40 minutes,” DU coach Joe Scott said. “We didn’t value the ball in the second half. We didn’t finish shots. We let them get a lot of offensive rebounds.”
Olson, a senior guard from Highlands Ranch, finished with 18 points. But he was the only Pioneer in double figures. Williams scored 15 points. Najee was 4-for-4 on free throws.
DU played without starting point guard Jalen Love, a junior who suffered an ankle injury during pregame warm-ups.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com or
