PUEBLO, Colo. – MSU Denver hung with the best on Saturday.
 
The Roadrunners trailed defending Division II national champions and preseason No. 1 (SID poll) Lubbock Christian (Texas) by only six points with 4:36 to play and never really gave an inch in a 70-60 defeat at the second day of the Al Kaly Shrine Classic.
 
Jaela Richardson had 17 points and 12 rebounds as the rapidly-gaining-experience Roadrunners dropped to 0-2 despite playing much better than in a season-opening 69-51 loss to Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday.
 
"That's a good team, and we gave them everything they could handle," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "We can build on that. We saw some great things."
 
Losalini Katia's basket got the Roadrunners within six for the final time at 59-53.
 
The Lady Chaps, ranked No. 2 in the coaches' poll, scored the next four points, but Morgan Lewis knocked down a 3-pointer to get MSU Denver back within 63-56 with 3:32 to go.
 
But Lubbock Christian – which played three nationally-ranked Division I teams in exhibition games and put major scares into both Texas and Mississippi State – was able to hold off the Roadrunners' late push.
 
Richardson, a redshirt freshman, hit 7 of 12 from the field in posting a big game in her second collegiate game. She had two points in the opener.
 
"She was so much more comfortable," Haave said. "I keep forgetting that she's a freshman. She had a lot more confidence today, and that was nice to see. She got those first-game jitters out of the way."
 
Jaiden Galloway had 11 points and four assists, while Lewis had 10 points and six rebounds while going 3-for-7 from 3-point range in 16 minutes.
 
"As this group gets more and more experience playing together, it will be interesting to see," Haave said. "Remember this is a totally brand-new team. I'm really encouraged. I'm still disappointed we lost, because I thought we had them. But now we know we can play with the second-ranked defending national champions. We can play with anybody."
 
MSU Denver led 17-16 after the first quarter, then hung tough throughout the second half after trailing 41-30 at the break.
 
 "The second half of the second quarter we had a lapse in concentration and that was the difference," Haave said. "But I like that we kept battling."
 
MSU Denver heads north for a tournament next weekend, playing Nos. 18 and 22 host Minnesota State-Moorhead on Friday at 5 p.m. MST, and St. Cloud State (Minn.) at 3 p.m. MST Saturday.