Box Score Box Score
DENVER - Alyssa Benson (Eden Prairie, Minn./Minnetonka H.S.) scored 20 points and
Jasmine Cervantes (Johnstown, Colo./Berthoud H.S.) came within two rebounds of the school's first triple-double as No. 7 Metro State opened the 2011-12 season with a 77-67 win over Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) on Friday night.
Benson hit 8-of-10 from the floor and hit two 3-pointers, while coming off the bench. Cervantes had 10 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds to go with two steals and two assists. She committed just one turnover in the game. Her 10 assists were the most at Metro State since Natasha Molock had 11 on Nov. 20, 2004, at Cal State Los Angeles.
Freshman
Jenessa Burke (Aurora, Colo./Highlands Ranch H.S.) scored 12 points off the bench in her first game. She and Benson helped Metro State's bench outscore NNU's bench 45-11.
Caley Dow (Centennial, Colo./Arapahoe H.S.) and
Brandi Valencia (Moriarty, N.M./Moriarty H.S.) each scored eight points and
Candice Kohn (Midland, Texas/Midland Christian H.S.) added seven.
Kristin Valencia (Moriarty, N.M./Moriarty H.S.) tied Cervantes with a team-high eight rebounds as the Roadrunners held a 39-31 advantage on the boards.
The Crusaders shot 50.0 percent from the floor and Metro State connected at 46.8 percent. The Roadrunners allowed just two opponents to shoot 50 percent last season.
NNU held an eight-point lead at 21-13 with 9:27 left in the first half for its largest lead. The Crusaders held their final lead of the game at 23-22 as Metro State ended the first half on a 15-8 run to take a 37-31 lead into the break.
The Roadrunners quickly built their lead to 11 on a 3-pointer by
Brandi Valencia (Moriarty, N.M./Moriarty H.S.) with 18:30 left to play at 44-33.
NNU trimmed the lead back to four at 46-42 with 16 minutes left, but Metro State answered with a 19-6 run over the next seven minutes, leading 65-48 with 9:16 left.
Metro State never led by less than eight the rest of the way.
Briaunna King led NNU with 15 points and Heather Adams and Megan Hingston each had 14.
The Roadrunners will host NCAA Division I opponent Nebraska-Omaha at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
