The DU men’s basketball team erased a seven-point deficit in regulation on Saturday afternoon only to be handed a stunning defeat when North Texas’ Alzee Williams tipped in the ball in overtime just before the buzzer, securing a 75-74 win for the Mean Green.
With the loss, the Pioneers (15-5, 5-2 SBC) fall back into a three-way tie with UNT and Arkansas-Little Rock atop the West division of the Sun Belt Conference.
Senior forward Justin Coughlin scored a backdoor layup with 13 seconds left in overtime to put the Pioneers ahead 74-73, but North Texas’ Roger Franklin was able to get a heavily contested shot off as the final seconds were ticked away.
Franklin’s shot attempt missed, but Williams was there for the crucial tip-in.
“We had a great defensive possession [at the end of overtime] and forced them into a bad shot, but they got a tip,” said head coach Joe Scott. “There was an eight-minute stretch when we stopped playing our way and got out of sorts, and North Texas took advantage.”
Freshman guard Brett Olson tied the game in regulation 66-66 when he scored a crucial layup. He finished with 15 points, but freshman guard Royce O’Neal was the DU’s top performer on the night, collecting 21 points, eight rebounds and five steals.
O’Neale, a Killeen, Texas native, has emerged in recent weeks from bench player to more of a starter’s role, earning more minutes per game each week and finishing with 34 minutes off the bench against UNT.
“Royce has sort of moved into a starter’s role recently for us,” said Scott at last week’s press conference.
In the defeat on Saturday, Denver’s defense once again proved to be strong, forcing several key turnovers that propelled the game into overtime.
“I thought the way we executed the last minute of regulation was great, we made some really nice plays and had a group out there that defended well and gave us a chance,” said Scott. “Our defense was great, but our rebounding hurt us in the end. We want to be really good on the road and in order to that we need to all the little things right.”
The Pioneers’ frontcourt was handicapped with sophomore forward Chris Udofia sitting on the bench with five fouls. Udofia only played 25 minutes and finished with nine points and five rebounds.
“Chris didn’t have his normal game, which hurt us,” said Scott. “But I think Justin Coughlin played really well off the bench for us.”
DU led by as many as six points in the second half but couldn’t handle a 13-0 UNT run during a six-minute stretch. Despite shooting 60.9 percent from the field and nailing nine three-point shots in the first half, the Pioneers couldn’t extend the lead on the Mean Green and were only up four going into the half.
Although off to the best start in school history with a 15-5 overall record, the team has yet to separate itself in the conference standings, dropping to 5-2 in SBC play with its losses against UNT and UALR.
DU will start this week with a home contest against Arkansas State at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Then the Pioneers get an opportunity to redeem an early season loss against UALR this weekend, when they travel to take on the Trojans on Saturday.
