LAKEWOOD, Colo. - Mitch McCarron (Brisbane, Australia/Genesis Christian College) sunk two free throws with 6.5 seconds left to help No. 10 Metropolitan State University of Denver escape with a 61-59 win at Colorado Christian on Friday night. The Roadrunners improved to 12-2 overall and 7-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while CCU dropped to 7-7 and 4-4.
 
With the game tied 59-59, McCarron drove from the right wing and drew a foul with 6.5 seconds left. After sinking both free throws, MSU Denver knocked the ball out of bounds on its defensive end of the floor with 1.3 seconds to go. The Cougars fired a 3-pointer from the left corner off the inbounds, but McCarron blocked the shot as time expired.
 
McCarron finished with 23 points and seven rebounds, scoring 19 in the second half. He also hit 8-of-9 free throws in the game.
 
Nicholas Kay (Tamworth, Australia/Newington College) scored a game-high 25 points for the Roadrunners. Bounama Keita (Saint-Louis, Senegal/Impact Basketball Academy (Fla.)) had five points and eight rebounds, with a pair of blocked shots.
 
A slow-paced first half sent the Roadrunners and Cougars into halftime tied 25-25. Kay scored 12 points in the first half to lead all scorers. MSU Denver never led in the first half and CCU led by as many as seven points. The Roadrunners held CCU to just 28.6 percent shooting in the first half.
 
The second half continued to be a back-and-forth battle. The Roadrunners opened a four-point lead early, scoring the first four points. But CCU battled back and held a seven-point lead after a 3-pointer by Isaiah Hanson with 8:23 to go.
 
MSU Denver answered with a 13-2 run to take a 55-51 lead with under five minutes left after Kay scored seven unanswered points.
 
CCU's Wayne McCullough buried a 3-pointer with 33.2 seconds left to tie the game at 59-59. McCarron then let the clock run under 10 seconds before driving to the basket and drawing the foul.
 
The Cougars made 7-of-13 from the outside in the second half, made up for the hot shooting with sinking 15-of-18 at the line.
 
For the game, MSU Denver committed just nine turnovers and outrebounded CCU 38-to-31, while holding the Cougars to 36.5 percent shooting.
 
MSU Denver will play at No. 9 Colorado School of Mines at 7 p.m. on Saturday.