DENVER – With the game in hand, MSU Denver subbed out Laolu Oke for the final 95 seconds.
 
Then he was told.
 
He had just tied the Roadrunners' 37-year-old single-game program record with 20 rebounds.
 
He wanted to get one more.
 
"He'll have time to break that record hopefully," MSU Denver coach Michael Bahl said. "He wanted to go back in but I told him I couldn't put him back in. I told him he's got 3 ½ more years to break it. That gives him something to shoot for."
 
The way Oke was grabbing boards in Tuesday's 78-62 victory over Colorado Christian, one can see where it could very well happen before his career is over.
 
"I had no idea until I was even close," Oke said. "Then when I came out, JB (assistant coach John Bynum) told me I tied the school record. And I was like, 'Let me back in.' But it's all right, I'll get it another day."
 
To have any program record in a program like MSU Denver – which has won two national championships while compiling the second-best winning percentage in Division II history – is a major milestone.
 
The only 20-rebound game previously by a Roadrunner was by Ken Turner, against Chaminade (Hawaii) on Jan. 5, 1993.
 
"He gets all the credit," Bahl said of Oke. "I haven't taught him one thing. It's one of those things where it comes to him. He has a natural instinct. He can see the ball in the air, and he knows where it's going to go. It reminds me of Jonathan Morse and Lester Strong, and those are two of the best guys who have ever played here."
 
Invoking the names of Morse and Strong is heady stuff, indeed. Morse (2008-13) is the Roadrunners' all-time leader with 1,029 rebounds, while Strong (2000-04) is fifth with 779.
 
Most impressively Tuesday, Oke pulled down 12 offensive rebounds. He entered the night tied for 11^th in Division II with an average of 4.5 offensive rebounds per game. While recording his second career double-double in the course of three games, Oke scored 10 of his 14 points by converting offensive rebounds into layups.
 
"I'm not really a go-to guy to score the basketball," Oke said. "So I can get my points crashing the glass and getting offensive rebounds."
 
Oke is averaging 9.2 points and 10.6 rebounds for the Roadrunners, who improved to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with their second straight win.

Oke's glass cleaning overshadowed another strong performance by Mavrick Gildyard, who had a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds that included two rim-rattling dunks, multiple feathery-soft jumpers and standout defense.
 
"I've been trusting my teammates," Gildyard said. "Trust the system. And that's what I've been trying to do. I wasn't trying to force anything, just get in a groove and let things flow naturally."
 
Kobe Sanders, who had 10 assists in Saturday's win over Western Colorado, came out scoring Tuesday, with 11 points in the first five minutes before finishing with a career-high 20.
 
The Roadrunners finished the first half with a 14-5 run to lead 44-33, then led by as many as 22 points in the second half.
 
"I'm really proud of our energy and our effort," Bahl said. "That's the key for us, especially in the world we're in now where no one is in the gym (for games). We're going to have to bring our energy from within. Our bench was outstanding tonight. Even though guys weren't on the floor, they had a tremendous impact. We have a team full of guys who just want to win."