Denver- The Metropolitan State University of Denver women's basketball team defeated CSU-Pueblo in an exciting overtime thriller on Friday night. The Roadrunners improved to 11-6 overall and 7-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Thunderwolves fell to 11-5 overall and suffered their first conference loss to fall 9-1 in conference play.
 
The Roadrunners were led by Jaelynn Smith (Denver, Colo./East H.S.), scoring a game high 27 point and nine assists.  Juniors Jonalyn Wittwer (Fall Creek, Wis./Fall Creek H.S.), Emily Hartegan (Wylie, Texas/Wylie East H.S.), and senior J'Nae Squires-Horton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sand Creek H.S.) also finished in the double figures for MSU Denver. Hartegan led the Roadrunners with 10 rebounds to complete a double double.  Both sides shot well in the game with the Roadrunners finishing the night shooting 45 percent from the field and the Thunderwolves shooting 44 percent.
 
MSU Denver started off the game strong taking an early lead over CSU-Pueblo. Following a 6-6 tie in the first quarter, Wittwer drained one from downtown to take a 9-6 lead over the Thunderwolves and the Roadrunners would go on to lead the remainder of the quarter.
 
Following a seven point Roadrunners lead, the Thunderwolves would end the first quarter strong going on a 6-0 run in the last two minutes to bring the score within one entering the second quarter.
 
Smith scored the first four points of the second quarter for the Roadrunners to gain a five-point lead within the first minute.
 
The Roadrunners were able to maintain a lead over the Thunderwolves right up to the end of the third when the Thunderwolves were able to tie the game up at 37 heading into the locker rooms.
 
Smith led all scorers with 14 first half points for the Roadrunners. MSU Denver shot 14-33 from the field for 42 percent in the first half.  The Thunderwolves went 10-26 for 38 percent from the field.
 
CSU-Pueblo held MSU Denver scoreless through the first three minutes of the second half while scoring nine points of its own to take a 46-37 lead over the Roadrunners.
 
With 4:58 left of the clock in the third, Smith scored one from behind the arch to cut the lead to 50-44 in favor of the Thunderwolves. Smith would continue to strike driving for two lay ups to cut the lead down to four with just over three minutes left in the quarter.
 
The Roadrunners continued to fight through the rest of the quarter to cut the Thunderwolves lead to two heading into the last quarter of the game.
 
The last quarter was slow to get rolling, however, the Roadrunners had the upper hand with Squires-Horton knocking down five points to take a two-point lead for her team with 5:46 on the game clock.
 
The Thunderwolves would counter, outscoring the Roadrunners in the following minutes 9-3 to regain a 67-63 lead.
 
A pair of made free throws and another three from Squires-Horton would steal the lead back for the Roadrunners, taking a 68-67 lead with just under two minutes in the fourth.
 
A Thunderwolves layup would put them up by one in the final 90 seconds of the game.  Following a Roadrunners timeout to advance the ball with 38 seconds left, Hartegan scored a jumper from inside the lane to take a 70-69 lead with 33 seconds on the clock.
 
CSU-Pueblo would answer driving the lane to take another one-point lead over MSU Denver with 21 seconds remaining.
 
Squires-Horton struck again draining a three with nine seconds left to take a 73-71 lead.
 
The Thunderwolves quickly inbounded the ball in efforts to tie the game.  The team earned a pair of free throws with just three seconds left to tie the game up at 73.
 
The Roadrunners took the final possession of the game but was unable to convert as time expired, sending the game into overtime.
 
Wittwer scored one from downtown for the first points of overtime, giving the Roadrunners a 76-73 lead.
 
The Roadrunners held a two-point lead over the Thunderwolves with just over a minute left in the first overtime, but CSU-Pueblo was able to tie the game up at 79.  However, on the following possession Wittwer nailed another huge bucket from downtown to take a 82-79 lead for her team.
 
A stop and two made free throws would give the Roadrunners a 84-79 lead with 21 seconds left but the Thunderwolves would knock down a three cutting the lead down to two with 13 seconds on the clock.
 
A made free throw from Smith would put the Roadrunners up three with the Thunderwolves getting the ball with 11 seconds remaining.
 
The Roadrunners defense came up big with a few stops to earn the 85-82 win over the Thunderwolves.
 
MSU Denver will host New Mexico Highlands Saturday, January 13 at 5 p.m.