DENVER – As the saying goes, sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Or is it the other way around?

Both versions were true for the Metropolitan State University of Denver women's basketball team in Saturday evening's game against Adams State, as the Roadrunners (5-8, 4-3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) notched their second win of the weekend with a 60-36 triumph over the Grizzlies (1-6, 1-10 RMAC). Offense and defense were working in harmony for the Red & Blue, who averaged a 20.5-point margin of victory over the weekend.

"I feel like we have a little bit added incentive defensively as long as we're scoring," MSU Denver head coach Tanya Haave said after the game. "Before, we'd be able to stop people, and if we can't score, sometimes it affects our effort on the defensive end. But I think we've really dug in and played a little bit better attention to game plans and we've had that result."

MSU Denver led 18-9 after one period of play on Saturday, but struggled to score against the Grizzlies' zone defense in the second quarter. The Roadrunners took a 22-18 lead into the halftime break, but quickly adjusted offensively as the second half began.

The result was a third quarter in which MSU Denver outscored Adams State 15-3, holding the Grizzlies to just 1 of 8 shooting in the period. The Roadrunners followed with a 23-point outburst in the fourth quarter, shooting 10 of 16 (62.5%) from the floor in the final 10 minutes.

"We talk a lot about how our defense impacts our offense," said senior guard Jaelynn Smith (Denver, Colo./East) following the game.

Smith was effective on both ends as usual on Saturday, scoring 13 points on the strength of 3 of 5 shooting from distance while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing a career-high 11 assists.
More than a few of those dimes came on buckets from senior forward Emily Hartegan (Wylie, Texas/Wylie East), who recorded her second consecutive double-double with team-leading totals of 14 points and 13 rebounds. During the weekend's two wins, Hartegan averaged 17.5 points and a whopping 15 rebounds per contest.

Senior forward Mikayla Gonzales (Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds to join Hartegan in double-digits on the glass, spearheading a dominant rebounding performance that saw MSU Denver collect 49 boards to Adams State's 22. The Roadrunners also held the Grizzlies to just 28 percent shooting, and ASU's 36 points was the lowest total for an MSU Denver opponent since William Jewell (Mo.) scored 35 on Nov. 24, 2017.

Meanwhile, the Roadrunners shot 42.9% from the floor and made a season-high nine 3-pointers, including three from Jonalyn Wittwer (Fall Creek, Wis./Fall Creek). The senior guard added a season-high five dimes to go with her nine points. MSU Denver had an incredible 20 assists on 24 made field goals, a season-best for the team in the assists category.

With the win, MSU Denver moved into a three-way tie for fifth place in the RMAC standings.

The Roadrunners will look to continue their recent winning ways when they travel to Utah for a two-game road swing next weekend. First up is a trip to Dixie State on Friday, with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. MT, before a 5:30 p.m. tip with Westminster in Salt Lake City the following day.