Box Score

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Metro State survived an 11-minute stretch in the second half when it went without a field goal to top Mesa State 58-53 on the road in Grand Junction, Colo.  The Roadrunners improved to 10-0 this season and 6-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while MSC fell to 7-4 and 4-3.

Metro State jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first five minutes and took a 10-point, 30-20 lead into halftime.  The Roadrunners quickly built on that lead, scoring on their first five possessions of the second half to lead 40-20 with 16:35 left on a layup by Brandi Valencia (Moriarty, N.M./Moriarty H.S.).

But Metro State went cold and went without a field goal for the next 11 minutes until Kristin Valencia (Moriarty, N.M./Moriarty H.S.)'s jump shot with 5:34.  The Mavericks cut the lead to two at 49-47 with 3:41 left on two free throws, capping a 27-9 run.  A 3-pointer by Kristin Valencia (Moriarty, N.M./Moriarty H.S.) and two free throws by Emily Wood (Louisville, Colo./Monarch H.S.) on the next two of the next three possessions stretched the lead back to seven with 2:23 remaining.

Mesa State would not get within three points the rest of the game.  Wood hit a jumper with 1:01 left and Jasmine Cervantes (Johnstown, Colo./Berthoud H.S.) nailed a pair of free throws with nine seconds left to seal the win.

The Roadrunners held a 32-26 rebounding advantage and have outrebounded their opponent in each game this season.  They also shot 45.7 percent from the floor, while holding the Mavericks to just 35.6 percent.  However, Mesa State was nearly perfect at the line, hitting 19-of-22 (.875) to fuel its second-half comeback.

Kristin Valencia (Moriarty, N.M./Moriarty H.S.) led the Roadrunners with 13 points, hitting 5-of-8 from the floor, and added four rebounds and two steals.  Wood scored 11 and had three assists.  Alyssa Benson (Eden Prairie, Minn./Minnetonka H.S.) poured in 10 points off the bench, hitting 3-of-4 from the outside.  Cervantes scored eight points and had eight rebounds and a team-high four assists.  Tawny Drexler (Golden, Colo./Golden H.S.) was limited to just two points while battling foul trouble, but matched a game-high nine rebounds.  Cassondra Bratton (Arvada, Colo./Pomona H.S.) scored nine poitns and had five boards.

Metro State will travel to Western State for a 6 p.m. game on Monday.