DENVER – Though not typically the case, sometimes one dominant quarter is all you need to win a game.

It was true for the Metropolitan State University of Denver women's basketball team on Saturday, and the squad picked the right quarter to dominate – the last one.

The Roadrunners (9-10, 8-5 and T-4^th Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) outscored the Mountain Lions (8-11, 7-6 and T-6^th RMAC) 20-10 in the fourth to complete a 16-point comeback, the largest for MSU Denver since a 17-point comeback win over Cal State East Bay on Nov. 21, 2015. Once down 43-27 in the third, MSU Denver unleashed a 23-4 run to take total control of the game in the fourth quarter and seal a fourth consecutive victory.

"We just started defending and really pressing the ball a little better," MSU Denver head coach Tanya Haave said of the Roadrunners' defensive adjustments in the fourth quarter, which forced UCCS to a 2 of 11 (18.2%) shooting performance in the final frame. "We really made them feel uncomfortable. We just had to extend our pressure and that really made a difference. Defending and rebounding won this game for us."

Despite a somewhat lackadaisical display in the first half, MSU Denver kept it close and trailed the Mountain Lions by seven, 27-20, at halftime.

The Roadrunners fell deeper into a hole early in the third, struggling to score as UCCS took a 16-point lead with 4:08 remaining in the period. From there, it was all MSU Denver.

Senior guard Jaelynn Smith (Denver, Colo./East) briefly took control of the game, chipping away at the UCCS lead with a layup and five free throw makes in a stretch over just over three minutes. Senior guard Jonalyn Wittwer (Fall Creek, Wis./Fall Creek), hot from deep of late to say the least, hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining in the third quarter to cut the deficit to six at 46-40.

In the fourth quarter, MSU Denver found a new gear on defense. Haave called for the press, and the Roadrunners forced a 10-second violation by UCCS just 27 seconds into the period. At the 7:40 mark, the press worked again as Smith picked up her fourth steal of the game and dished to freshman guard Jaiden Galloway (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) for an easy layup to make it 47-45 in favor of the Mountain Lions.

Freshman forward Morgan Lewis (Pagosa Springs, Colo./Pagosa Springs) saved what seemed to be a broken possession shortly after, driving left baseline and taking a contested jumper as the shot clock ran down. It dropped, and Lewis was fouled on the play. She gave MSU Denver its first lead of the contest with a made free throw moments later.

A free throw at the 8:04 mark was all UCCS would get in the first six minutes, 24 seconds of the quarter as the Roadrunners held the Mountain Lions to just a single point during a stretch of 9:02 spanning the end of the third quarter and most of the fourth. UCCS did find the basket and added a few free throws late in the game, tying it up at 52 with 2:45 to go.

 A nifty layup from Galloway with 2:01 remaining gave MSU Denver the lead for good. Wellington grabbed two of her whopping eight offensive rebounds with less than a minute to go, turning one of them into a putback layup and killing any hope of a last-second comeback for UCCS as she snatched a missed free throw by teammate Mikayla Gonzales (Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) with 23 seconds remaining.

"The two offensive rebounds at the end of the game really helped seal that win for us," Haave said. "(Bree Wellington (Fresno, Calif./Buchanan)) really picked it up in the second half and really competed. I think she made huge strides tonight and a huge difference."

Wellington's impact sang to the tune of 16 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for her first career double-double. In her last four games, Wellington is averaging 11 points and seven boards per contest.

Smith stuffed the stat sheet once as is her routine, scoring 16 points with seven rebounds and five assists to go with her four steals. With her 16 points on the night, Smith has moved into fifth place all-time on the MSU Denver women's basketball scoring list with 1,230 points, passing Paige Powers (1,219, 2004-2008).

Galloway also played thief four times and scored six points, while Wittwer had six points and a career-high nine rebounds. Lewis continued her streak of incredibly efficient play with six points and eight boards in 18 minutes. Over her last five games, Lewis is averaging 6.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in just 17.6 minutes per contest.

"We've got to find a way to win and we did," Haave said. "They're starting to believe and play for each other. It's just that sense of urgency. We're doing a really great job focusing on the next play, next play, next play and not worrying about the score."

That strategy seems to be working for the Roadrunners, who ride a four-game winning streak into a road trip to South Dakota next weekend. First up is a date with South Dakota School of Mines & Technology on Friday at 5:30 p.m. MT, while a showdown with Black Hills State will follow at 4 p.m. on Saturday.