Grand Junction, Colo.- The Metropolitan State University of Denver men's basketball team fell 69-67 on the road to Colorado Mesa on Friday night. The Roadrunners fell to 11-7 overall and 7-5 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Mavericks improved to 4-14 overall and 3-9 in conference.
 
Senior Brian Howard (Maywood, Ill./Saint Ignatius H.S.) led all scorers with 21 points. Howard shot 6-9 from behind the arch and went 3-4 from the line. Junior Peter Møller (Værløse, Denmark/Falkonergårdens Gymnasium) added 18 points for the Roadrunners shooting 54 percent from the field. MSU Denver shot 40 percent in the game while the Colorado Mesa shot 42 percent.
 
CJ Davis started the game off for the Mavericks scoring back to back three pointers to give his team an early 6-0 lead. But the Roadrunners were quick to respond going on a 10-0 run and scoring a pair of three pointers themselves from Howard and Møller; while four of the 10 being scored by junior Sunday Dech (Perth, Australia/Churchlands H.S.).
 
After a 14-5 run the Mavericks took a 23-19 lead with 8:43 to go in the half. The next points of the game wouldn't be scored until 4:51 to go when Møller scored a jumper to cut the lead to two.
 
Following a 9-1 run the Roadrunners took the lead with just under two minutes to go in the half and were able to maintain it going into halftime with a three-point lead, 32-29.
 
In the first half the Roadrunners shot 41 percent from the field and held the Mavericks to 38 percent and out rebounded the Mavericks 20-15. Møller and Howard led the Roadrunners in points both contributing 9.
 
Both team exchanged three pointers to kick off the second half. Howard had the eight of the first 12 Roadrunners points.
 
The Mavericks took their first lead of the half with 11:06 to at 45-44. CMU was able to maintain the lead, leading by as many as seven points, until MSU Denver regained the lead with 2:47 left to go after a made shot from behind the arch by Howard.
 
With 48 seconds to go the Mavericks cut the lead to one at 67-66.  CMU gained possession with 34 seconds left in the game and Eimer Lopez scored a three pointer with 7 seconds to go and it proved to be enough as the Roadrunners were unable to score.  The Mavericks gained the win 69-67.
 
The Roadrunners play Western State tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Gunnison, Colo.