DENVER – Playing a team that is competing for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular-season championship, MSU Denver was a little short on firepower.
 
Black Hills State used two big runs to help secure a 71-56 victory to improve to 18-6 overall and 15-3 in the RMAC.
 
The Yellow Jackets emerged from a fierce defensive struggle to outscore MSU Denver 14-4 to end the first half, breaking away from a 17-17 tie for a 31-21 lead at the break.
 
Then, after back-to-back layups by Mitch Lombard helped the Roadrunners close within 39-33 with 14:45 to go, Black Hills State answered with a 14-0 run over the next 4:18 to take a 20-point lead at 53-33 to essentially put the game out of reach.
 
Lombard led MSU Denver with 17 points, one short of his career high, while making 7 of 11 from the field. But the rest of the team combined to shoot just 8 of 47.
 
"I couldn't be more proud of the way our kids competed," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Michael Bahl said. "We couldn't have played harder. Unfortunately, when you shoot the way we did, it's hard. But at the end of the day, basketball is just the vehicle we use to teach these guys about the game of life, and in life when adversity hits, you have to compete. Our guys definitely did that." 
 
Maris Colton had eight points and 10 rebounds, Garrett Carter had eight points and three steals, and Kendall McIntosh hit all but one of his eight free throw tries to score seven points.
 
MSU Denver dropped to 10-14 overall and 6-12 in the RMAC heading into Saturday's 6 p.m. game at South Dakota Mines (14-10, 11-7).