DENVER – There's no place like home.

After a tough trip to South Dakota that included travel delays due to inclement weather after a loss at Northern State on Dec. 30, the Metropolitan State University of Denver women's basketball team (4-8, 3-3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) rebounded in a huge way Friday night at home with a 78-61 victory over Fort Lewis (6-6, 2-4 RMAC). It was MSU Denver's first win against Fort Lewis since Jan. 19, 2013, snapping an eight-game losing streak to the Skyhawks.

"I thought we were together as a team tonight," MSU Denver head coach Tanya Haave said following the game. "We were playing together really hard so it was really great to see. We've been able to stop people, so we continued the emphasis on the defense. However, we've clearly been struggling scoring. So tonight it was 'let's work together as a team to get some good shots.' We got some good shots, got some good looks, and knocked down some shots."

It was clear MSU Denver had a different energy level early in the game on Friday, building a 12-0 lead before Fort Lewis finally scored with 2:57 remaining in the first quarter. MSU Denver led 16-6 after the opening 10 minutes thanks in part to a couple key second-chance buckets from senior forward Emily Hartegan (Wylie, Texas/Wylie East) and junior forward Bree Wellington (Fresno, Calif./Buchanan).

Senior guard Jaelynn Smith (Denver, Colo./East) was back to her offensive prowess, leading the Roadrunners with 25 points on the night along with five rebounds and a team-best five assists.

The offensive drought was certainly snapped with MSU Denver's 78-point explosion, a season-high for the Roadrunners. MSU Denver shot 47.4% from the field, also a season-best, while limiting the Skyhawks to 36.2% from the field. The Roadrunners also shot an impressive 88.5% from the charity stripe (23 of 26) and outrebounded Fort Lewis 43 to 34.

Jaelynn Smith (Denver, Colo./East) poured in 25 points to lead MSU Denver in scoring, her fourth game with 20+ points so far during the 2018-19 season. Eight of those points came in a burst between 8:01 and 6:39 of the second quarter, helping MSU Denver to a 36-24 halftime lead.

The Roadrunners turned to Hartegan in a high-scoring third quarter. She scored nine points in the frame as part of a 21-point, 17-rebound effort as the Roadrunners extended their lead to 13 points at 58-45 with 10 minutes to go. Hartegan's 17 rebounds proved to be a career-high and tie the highest total for an MSU Denver hooper since Cassondra Bratton grabbed 20 boards at Regis on Feb. 26, 2011.

The Roadrunners finished business in the fourth quarter, holding the Skyhawks to 6 of 18 shooting in the final period to seal the important win.

While Smith and Hartegan certainly stuffed the stat sheet, Haave pointed to Wellington as the difference-maker.

"To have Bree Wellington (Fresno, Calif./Buchanan) play the way she did tonight, that's just fantastic," Haave said. "I think she just slowed down and was able to finish some shots, and that's what she's been struggling doing. She really was focused, concentrating on what she was doing. That's what she can bring and that's what she can do for our team. That was basically the difference in the game tonight. I know she's been struggling with her confidence so I'm really pleased for her from that standpoint, that she was able to snap out of this. We want her to build off of that."

Wellington poured in a career-high 17 points off the bench, making 7 of 9 field goal attempts to set a career high in field goal percentage (77.8%) in 23 very productive minutes on the floor.
Smith and Hartegan had nothing but praise for their teammate.

" I think it helps her build her confidence so that going forward she doesn't have to be so timid or feel so rushed," Smith said of Wellington. "I think it was good for not just the team but for her individually."

"I think anyone on our team can score 20," Hartegan added. "We're all capable of it, it's just who's going to come out and do it. We're all very talented and skilled. It's more about the confidence, and I think (Wellington) needed this. She worked for it."

While Friday's performance was worthy of excitement, Haave knows the Roadrunners have lots of work left to do.

"It's one game and we've got to build on it," she said.

MSU Denver looks for a two-win home weekend as the Roadrunners will face Adams State at the Auraria Event Center on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. MT, with a men's hoops showdown between the two schools is set to follow.