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DENVER - Metro State remained undefeated this season with another excellent defensive performance in a 53-48 victory over Colorado Mines on Friday evening at home.  The Roadrunners improved to 12-0 overall and 8-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while CSM fell to 6-7 overall and 2-6.

It was the fifth time this season Metro State has held an opponent under 50 points and the eighth time an opponent has shot under 35 percent from the floor.

Mines entered Friday averaging 68.2 points.

The Orediggers connected at just a 32.0 percent clip from the floor, but hit 5-of-11 from the outside.  Metro State forced 20 turnovers, while committing just 13.

The Roadrunners actually had a lower shooting percentage, hitting just 30.2 percent from the floor and 3-of-14 from 3-point range.  However, they connected on 18-of-24 (.750) from the line.

Surprisingly, it was not the lowest shooting percentage in a victory for Metro State.  In fact, Metro State has won with a lower field goal percentage twice past eight years--both victories coming over the Orediggers.  Last season Metro State shot 29.2 percent in a 55-51 victory on March 2 in the quarterfinals of the RMAC Shootout.  In a 59-53 win on Feb. 7, 2004, Metro State shot 28.6 percent against CSM.

Cassondra Bratton (Arvada, Colo./Pomona H.S.) and Emily Wood (Louisville, Colo./Monarch H.S.) led Metro State scorers with 12 points each.  Bratton hit 8-of-10 at the line and had nine rebounds.  Wood buried 2-of-3 from the outside and all four of her free throw attempts.  Tawny Drexler (Golden, Colo./Golden H.S.) scored nine points and had a game-high 11 rebounds, while combining with Bratton to shut the Orediggers' low-post game down.  The duo held 6-foot-2 CSM center Brecca Gaffney, who entered the game second in the RMAC in scoring with 20.0 points per game in conference games, to just 3-of-15 shooting and 10 points.  Mines had just 16 points in the paint as a team.

Jasmine Cervantes (Johnstown, Colo./Berthoud H.S.) scored eight points for Metro State and had team highs of four assists and four steals.  Kristin Valencia (Moriarty, N.M./Moriarty H.S.) also had four steals.

The Roadrunners jumped out to a 9-2 lead eight minutes into the game, but the Orediggers went on an 8-0 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes to take a 10-9 lead.  The rest of the half was played evenly and Metro State took a 22-20 lead into halftime.  It was the seventh time this season Metro State has held its opponent to 20 or fewer points at half.

Mines held a 26-25 lead two minutes into the second half, but that was its final lead.  Cervantes scored two possessions later on a layup for Metro State.  CSM briefly tied the game at 32-32, but Brandi Valencia (Moriarty, N.M./Moriarty H.S.)'s jumper on the ensuing possession gave the Roadrunners a 34-32 lead with 12:26 to go and it was all Metro State from that point on.

Metro State built a 9-point lead at 45-36 after two free throws by Bratton with six minutes left.  The Orediggers cut the lead to three with nine seconds left, but a pair of free throws by Wood sealed the 5-point victory.

It was just the second game this season that Metro State never held a double digit lead.  CSM has not won at Metro State since 2005, now a seven-game home winning streak for the Roadrunners against Mines.

Metro State will host Colorado Christian at 5 p.m. on Saturday.  The game will be a battle between two of the three 8-0 teams in the RMAC.  The two squads are tied with No. 3 Fort Lewis atop the RMAC standings.