DENVER ? Nate Rohnert’s lay-up with 5.1 seconds left in the game broke a 54-54 tie and Denver held on the final seconds for a 56-54 Sun Belt Conference victory over South Alabama Thursday night at Magness Arena.

The loss is USA’s third straight and all have been decided in the final seconds. The Pioneers improve to 9-11 and 4-5 in the SBC while the Jaguars drop to 11-10 and 4-6.

“I don’t know what to say,” said USA head coach Ronnie Arrow. “I feel bad for the guys. Yeah, we make key mistakes but we play hard enough to win. We’ve played three games (in a row) that we’ve lost at the buzzer that we played hard enough to win. It’s got to change.”

South Alabama had 3.1 seconds to get off a final shot, but freshman C.J. Garner’s (Silver Spring, Md.) baseline lay-up was ruled to have left his hand after the buzzer, as confirmed by video replay.

“The plan was either to go inside to Brandon (Davis) or (Domonic) Tilford was going to have the ball,” said Arrow. “We passed it a little too late.”

Senior DeAndré Coleman (Stone Mountain, Ga.) led all players with 17 points and just missed his fourth straight double-double with a game-high nine rebounds. Senior Brandon Davis (Birmingham, Ala.) added 15 points and seven boards.

Coleman and Davis helped dominate the glass, giving USA a 36-21 advantage, including an 11-2 edge on the offensive end.

Defense ruled in the second half after Denver took a 37-28 advantage into halftime. The two teams combined to shoot 34.1% from the floor in the final 20 minutes and both suffered long field goal droughts. The Jaguars went without a bucket for the final 5:58 of the contest.

After allowing 66.7% from the field and 3-point land in the first half, South Alabama held Denver to 31.8% and 9.1%, respectively, in the second half. DU did not convert a shot over a 7:33 span late in the game.

“That’s what we have to do for the whole game,” said Arrow.

Coleman scored six straight points over a 3:09 stretch, all from the line, to cap off a 16-3 run to rally the Jags from a 46-37 deficit for a 53-49 lead. But the Pioneers closed the contest out with a 7-1 spurt, including Rohnert’s lay-up.

Rohnert led Denver with 12 points and five assists. Rob Lewis was the only other DU player in double-figures with 11.

The Jags return home Saturday to host New Orleans at the Mitchell Center.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be televised live on CSS.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

NOTES: USA senior Domonic Tilford (Louisville, Ky.), the team’s leading scorer at 18.6 per game, was held to a season-low six points, ending his double-figure scoring streak at 18... South Alabama went 0-for-6 on 3-pointers and did not attempt a long-range field goal in the second half... Coleman’s double-double streak was the longest by a USA player since the 2006-07 season.

?USA?