Box Score GOLDEN, Colo. - Brandon Jefferson (Flower Mound, Texas/Lewisville H.S.) buried a 3-pointer with 35.9 seconds left to give No. 1 Metro State a two-point lead and the Roadrunners earned a 57-54 victory at No. 11 Colorado Mines to take a three-game lead in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners improved to 19-1 overall and 16-0 in the RMAC with their 16th consecutive win, while the Orediggers dropped to 17-3 overall and 13-3 in the RMAC.

Jefferson, the team's leading scorer averaging 21.6 points this season, was scoreless in the second half until his shot fell in the final minute. He finished with 13 points.

Nicholas Kay (Tamworth, Australia/Newington College) scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting and had six rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals. Jamal McClerkin (Van Nuys, Calif./Chaminade College Prep) provided 12 points and Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College) added six.

The Roadrunners shot just 33.3 percent thanks to a physical defense by the Orediggers. But Metro State won the turnover battle 8-to-18.

Metro State had a rough first half shooting the ball, making just 30.7 percent from the floor, while CSM hit 45.0 percent. However, the Roadrunners trailed just 29-26 at halftime, with its 26 points a season low for a first half.

CSM opened a 10-point lead early in the second half, but the Roadrunners fought back and tied the game 40-40 on a 3-pointer by Kay with 6:50 remaining.

The Roadrunners took their first lead of the second half on a pair of free throws by Kay with 2:34 left, pulling ahead 49-48.

The Orediggers led ahead 52-49 with 1:52 to go, but McClerkin sunk two free throws with 1:37 left to bring Metro State back within a point.

Jefferson scored his first points of the second half to put the Roadrunners in front 54-52 with 35.9 left, crossing over a defender and stepping back behind the line from the right wing. After a defensive stop, Jourdon Hunter (Denver, Colo./Kennedy H.S.) made 1-of-2 at the line with 17.3 seconds remaining, stretching the lead to three.

Trevor Ritchie drove the left baseline and brought the Orediggers within 55-54 with 8.2 seconds left.

Hunter was fouled again with 6.9 seconds left and this time made both to build the lead to three. Jefferson forced a steal in the final seconds to seal the victory.

Luke Meisch led the Orediggers with 12 points and eight rebounds.

Metro State will play at Colorado Christian at 7 p.m. on Saturday.