DENVER – Tough day for the MSU Denver women's basketball team.
 
After expending supreme energy in a comeback attempt Saturday night, on Sunday against Western State Colorado the Roadrunners struggled through a first-half scoring drought of more than 10 minutes and foul trouble for star point guard Jaelynn Smith (Denver, Colo./East).

Combined, it added up to a frustrating 66-46 defeat at the Auraria Event Center.
 
"It's disappointing," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "We're clearly struggling right now with scoring. They were really able to stick it to us."
 
Smith hit two free throws to give the Roadrunners a 9-8 lead with 2:44 left in the first quarter. But by the time they scored again, on Jaiden Galloway's (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) layup with 2:26 left in the half, Western State had scored 13 straight points.
 
"We had talked about being hungry, about going for it and attacking," Haave said. "But we had trouble making some shots, and it spiraled out of control.
 
"Having so many empty possessions killed us, and eventually that's going to catch up with you on the defensive end as well."
 
Despite shooting just 18.5 percent (5 of 27) in the first half, MSU Denver trailed only 26-17.
 
But, despite a basket from Galloway to start the second half, the Roadrunners trailed by double figures most of the rest of the way. They shot a season-low 26.4 percent (14 for 53) for the game in dropping to 3-7 overall and 2-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
Abbigail Juozapaitis (Snohomish, Wash./Glacier Peak) hit three 3-pointers to lead the Roadrunners with a career-high nine points. Fellow freshman Morgan Lewis (Pagosa Springs, Colo./Pagosa Springs) added a career-high eight points, and senior Mikayla Gonzales (Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) had seven points and matched a career best with six rebounds.
 
Katie Dalton and Jessie Erickson scored 15 points each for Western State (5-2, 3-2).
 
Smith, who scored a school-record 29 second-half points, and 36 overall, in Saturday's 68-63 loss to Colorado Mesa, played a strong first quarter with four points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
 
But Smith picked up two quick fouls in the closing seconds of the first period and got her third shortly after returning to the court in the second period, with 4:30 left in the half.
 
"Jay clearly was affected – she had put the team on her back (Saturday)," Haave said. "We need other people stepping up. We've been too one-dimensional. Tonight there weren't any dimensions."