DENVER – If the MSU Denver men's basketball team is making one last push for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament, then consider Friday night's 72-51 victory over Black Hills State a gigantic shove in the right direction.
 
Losers of seven of their previous nine games, often in heartbreaking fashion, the Roadrunners left no doubt in thoroughly outplaying a team that had entered the night in sole possession of third place in the RMAC.
 
"We're better than what our record says," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Michael Bahl said. "Everyone who knows basketball can see that. But at the same time – as (Hall of Fame football coach) Bill Parcells says – you're only as good as your record. So we understand where we are, but I think we're getting better along the way.
 
"That was by far our most complete game. To hold a team like that, with that much firepower, to 51 points, 22 points below its average, that's really impressive."
 
MSU Denver improved to 9-13 overall and 7-11 in the RMAC as it bids to finish in the top eight in the league to earn a postseason opportunity.
 
Though the Roadrunners moved up only from 12th to a tie for 11th with the win, more importantly they climbed within two games of eighth place with four games left in the regular season.
 
One of the teams ahead of them, at 8-10, is South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, which comes to the Auraria Event Center for a huge 6 p.m. matchup Saturday.
 
"It's no longer physical, it's mental," Bahl said. "Can we regroup tomorrow and be as hungry as we were today? Can we handle success? We sure as heck can handle failure – we've lost quite a bit, and we've always bounced back. Now can we handle success?
 
"If we can have another good performance tomorrow, I think you're going to see us peak at the right time. Whether it gets us in the playoffs or not, it is what it is. We always want to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season, and I think you're seeing that."
 
On Friday, the Roadrunners finished the first half strong, then pulled away from a 34-28 advantage by shooting 55.2 percent from the field in the second half while holding the Yellow Jackets (13-9 overall, 12-6 RMAC) to just 26.9 percent.
 
And while 6-foot-8 forward Kendall McIntosh (Oakley, Calif./Freedom) turned in another strong game with 18 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots, three unheralded freshmen played a strong supporting role.
 
Season-long starting forward Elijah Straughter (Fresno, Calif./Clovis North), despite being under the weather, had 10 points, six rebounds and a career-high four blocks. Point guard Marcus Jefferson (Lewisville, Texas/Lewisville), starting for the second consecutive game, and a strong floor game with 10 points, a career-best six rebounds and five assists. And guard Demetrius Jackson (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro), starting for the third straight game, had a career-high 15 points.
 
"You talk about three freshmen carrying you," Bahl said. "Thirty-five points among three freshmen. That's a really good night for us."
 
Jackson knocked down 3 of 4 tries from 3-point range in the first half and was 3 for 5 overall from long distance. For the season he's shooting 50 percent (19 of 38) from beyond the arc.
 
"Going into the game I was shooting well, I was shooting really well in warmups, and I got some open looks," Jackson said.
 
But the true freshman downplayed his big offensive night.
 
"It's about me helping my team," he said. "Usually it's defense. Today it was scoring. Just doing what I need to do, and I'm happy to come out of it with a win."
 
Said Bahl: "He's starting to come on as of late. You're starting to see that he's no longer a freshman. He knows what he needs to be doing, and I think he's getting more comfortable. He's more comfortable with his role, and he's more comfortable with his shot.
 
"And what I like the most is what he's doing defensively. He was guarding their point guard, who I think is their most important player, and I think he did a pretty good job on him all night."
 
Defense will be key against South Dakota Mines, which beat MSU Denver 70-67 on a 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer when the teams played in Rapid City on Feb. 1.
 
"They're a really good defensive team like us," Bahl said. "We're going to have to match their intensity. They're fighting for something just like we are. We're going to have to get our energy back up."
 
Said Jackson: "We've got a lot of grit, and we're tough. We've been battling adversity all year. This isn't the kind of year we wanted. But we're just going to keep battling, get in the playoffs, and do what we do. We know we're a good team."