PUEBLO, Colo. – MSU Denver bounced back in a big way Saturday night.
 
The Roadrunners, coming off their worst loss of the season on Friday, simply turned the page and picked up their first road win since early December in a 76-62 victory over Colorado State University-Pueblo.
 
"I'm very pleased with how this group responded after last night's game," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Michael Bahl said. "This group has shown some toughness all year and when we needed a win, we got one."
 
Despite Friday's 103-69 loss at New Mexico Highlands, the Roadrunners' Saturday win, combined with some favorable results around the league, appears to indicate that they still have a shot at grabbing the eighth and final spot for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament.
 
MSU Denver would have to win at home this Friday against Chadron State, then also get another break or two to pull into a three- or four-way tie. An exact prediction is difficult to make due to the RMAC's cumbersome tiebreaking formula for multiple-team deadlocks.
 
But, for now, we're saying there's a chance.
 
Senior Enrique Cortes Zotes led a balanced MSU Denver attack Saturday with 12 points, making 4 of 5 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range. He led a Roadrunners bench that contributed 35 points.
 
"I thought the bench was huge tonight, especially Enrique," Bahl said. "I couldn't be more happier for him after all that he has overcome this year. It couldn't have happened to a better man."
 
Jacob Inclan (Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside) also added to MSU Denver's off-the-bench success with 10 points while also hitting 2 of 3 from long range.
 
Freshman starting guards Demetrius Jackson (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) and Marcus Jefferson (Lewisville, Texas/Lewisville) each scored 10, while Jefferson added six rebounds and five assists. Despite standing 5-foot-11, Jefferson has been one of MSU Denver's top rebounders over the last four games, grabbing 5.0 per contest.
 
MSU Denver (11-14, 9-12) has won three of its last four games. The Roadrunners broke a seven-game road losing streak and improved to 2-9 away from the venerable Auraria Event Center.
 
The Roadrunners shot 52.9 percent (27 of 51) from the field, including 43.5 percent (10 of 23) from 3. The overall field goal percentage was the third-best accuracy of the season for MSU Denver.
 
CSU-Pueblo (6-21, 4-17) led 12-4 just over four minutes into the game, but MSU Denver had pulled in front 40-35 by halftime. The ThunderWolves shot just 36.0 percent from the field in the second half.