DENVER – Many would agree that winning basketball games is about making adjustments.

The Metropolitan State University of Denver women's basketball team made plenty of adjustments Monday night in order to defeat NAIA opponent Taylor (Ind.) in exhibition, 72-61. The first big adjustment was to call a different floor home for the night after a water main break forced the relocation of Monday's contest to the Wildcat Center at Johnson & Wales University in east Denver.

The second major adjustment was about how to stop a talented and pesky Taylor Trojans (3-1) team that already had three 2018-19 regular-season games under its belt before making a trip to Colorado for exhibitions against MSU Denver (0-0) and NCAA Division I University of Denver.

"I thought it was a good game for us in the sense that we struggled quite a bit in the first half but were able to play ourselves out of it," MSU Denver head coach Tanya Haave said Monday night. "It was good to get another opportunity to play and try different combinations with our team."

Taylor jumped out to a six-point advantage in the first quarter, leading 16-10 after the opening 10 minutes. MSU Denver made 11-of-16 attempts from the floor in the second quarter, however, squeaking back in front with a 34-33 halftime lead.

The Roadrunners stayed locked in a tough battle with the Trojans throughout the third quarter, and the score was 46-all with 10 minutes remaining.

That's when the big adjustment came.

Over the next seven minutes and 15 seconds, the Roadrunners unleashed an 18-2 run to take total command of the game with a 64-48 lead. They never looked back, outscoring Taylor 26-15 in the fourth quarter thanks in part to a perfect period (14-14) from the charity stripe.

Senior guard Jaelynn Smith (Denver, Colo./East) scored half of her 18 points in that final quarter to help MSU Denver pull away, including a big three-pointer with 6:10 remaining that gave the Roadrunners a five-point lead at 53-48. Smith nearly went for a triple-double in Monday's contest, recording team-leading totals of eight rebounds and eight assists to go with her team-leading 18 points.

"But how many turnovers?" Smith asked after hearing about her near-miss of the elusive triple-double, showcasing a desire to continue getting better even after a particularly impressive night. The answer was just two – not shabby for a game in which she never came off the floor.

Smith made eight-of-10 attempts from the free throw line while going 4-of-11 from the field, adding two steals to stuff the stat sheet even further.

It wasn't only the Jaelynn Smith (Denver, Colo./East) show during Monday's preseason tune-up, though, as four other Roadrunners scored in double-figures. Senior forward Emily Hartegan (Wylie, Texas/Wylie East) added 12 points and seven rebounds, while junior forward Bree Wellington (Fresno, Calif./Buchanan) had 11 points and six rebounds, four of which were offensive boards.

Senior forward Mikayla Gonzales (Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) scored 10 with five rebounds, while freshman guard Abbigail Juozapaitis (Snohomish, Wash./Glacier Peak), "Abbie J," for those unfamiliar, was two-of-four from beyond the arc on the way to a 10-point performance in her MSU Denver debut. Senior guard/forward Jonalyn Wittwer (Fall Creek, Wis./Fall Creek) added nine points and seven rebounds for a Roadrunners team that shot 44.6% from the field and an impressive 85 percent from the free throw line.

Taylor senior forward Kendall Bradbury, a native of nearby Highlands Ranch, Colo., led the Trojans with 26 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Becca Buchs added 22 points and seven rebounds. While the game counted as an exhibition contest for MSU Denver, it was a regular-season contest and the first loss of the season for Taylor, the No. 19 NAIA women's basketball team.  

The Roadrunners will be back in action Friday at 5 p.m. MT for their first regular season game, taking on Lubbock Christian in Lubbock, Texas at the school's home tournament. MSU Denver will then take on Texas A&M-Commerce Saturday at 3 p.m. MT as part of the same tournament.

Follow @MSUDenverSports and @MSUDenverWBB on Twitter for more information about Roadrunners women's hoops as the regular season begins.