DENVER – When the defense needed to be at its best Friday night, it was.
But MSU Denver couldn't quite get over the hump in a 69-65 loss to Northwestern Oklahoma State.
"We got stops when we needed to get stops," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach
Michael Bahl said. "Last game we couldn't get stops. But this game on offense – we had open shot after open shot after open shot. At the end of the day the game is about putting the ball in the hole – but you always give yourself a chance if you defend.
"We defended at a high level, especially towards the end."
When Northwestern Oklahoma State's Treyvon Andres made a 3-pointer with 3:30 left to give the Rangers a 62-61 lead, it was a clutch basket. But it didn't seem like the dagger it turned out to be.
MSU Denver couldn't connect on four consecutive possessions, which trumped the three terrific defensive stops that produced two turnovers and a missed 3. Finally, the Rangers' David Thornton made two free throws for a 64-61 lead with 27 seconds to go, and he made two more after an unforced turnover by the Roadrunners five seconds later.
The Roadrunners were forced to resort to the foul game in the final seconds, and Northwestern Oklahoma State made enough to salt away its first win in three tries this season. Meanwhile, MSU Denver dropped to 0-2 with a second straight four-point loss.
"It's a tough loss," forward
Kendall McIntosh (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) said. "I wish we had gotten it. It's a similar situation to our last game. But we just have to stick with it. We've got another game tomorrow."
The Roadrunners play Lone Star Conference favorite Texas A&M-Commerce at 5 p.m. Saturday in the conclusion of the two-day Hilton Garden Inn Cherry Creek Classic at the Auraria Event Center.
Texas A&M-Commerce, receiving votes in the national poll, won Friday night 83-69 at No. 25 Regis.
"We've just got to come ready to play tomorrow," point guard
Marcus Jefferson (Lewisville, Texas/Lewisville) said. "They're one of the top teams in the region, and I'm just ready."
On Friday, Andres and Joseph Moorer combined to stun MSU Denver by making all nine of their combined attempts from 3-point range (Moorer was 5 for 5 and Andres was 4 for 4). Moorer finished with a game-high 28 points, while the 6-foot-8 Andres – a Denver native – had 18 points and nine rebounds.
"When you see one or two go in early, the hoop just gets bigger and bigger," Bahl said. "So we didn't do our job early. Moorer got three open looks in the first half, and he made all of them. So in the second half, when you're there in his face and he shoots it, it doesn't matter.
"Andres was 2 for 4 (from 3-point range for the season) and we pushed him away from the basket, which is what we wanted to do. But we didn't make the adjustment quick enough to get out there on him."
McIntosh led MSU Denver with 13 points, while Jefferson connected on 3 of 4 from 3-point range while scoring 11.
Cain van Heyningen (Amsterdam, Netherlands/Open schoolgemeenschap Bijlmer) had 10 rebounds, and Enrique Cortes-Zotes stuffed the stat sheet with five points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
The Roadrunners led by as many as seven (29-22) with 3:30 left in the first half before Northwestern Oklahoma State responded with back-to-back 3s – part of a 7-for-9 effort from long distance in the opening 20 minutes.
MSU Denver held the Rangers to 41.7 shooting from the field, despite seeing them hit 11 of 18 (61.1 percent) from long range. Helped by 15 offensive rebounds, the Roadrunners outrebounded Northwestern Oklahoma State 38-32. The Rangers made 18 of 22 free throws, including 9 of 10 in the second half.
"We're a really good defensive team and we showed that tonight," Bahl said. "We have to put it together on both ends to be a really good team."
