DENVER – Last possession wins.
 
All signs were pointing to that Saturday night, and indeed that is what happened as Westminster's Kaylee Carlsen took an 18-footer from the corner that hit the rim just before the buzzer sounded and then rattled around and fell through after the horn blew, handing MSU Denver a heartbreaking 76-75 defeat.
 
"That's the kind of game it was," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "I feel bad for our players."
 
In an incredible finish, the lead changed hands seven times in the final 1:28 and the teams combined for nine consecutive successful possessions.
 
The Roadrunners moved in front 75-74 with four seconds left on Allie Navarette's layup, which came on an assist from Alex Carlton, who was seated in the lane after winning a scramble for a loose ball.
 
It looked like MSU Denver just might have clinched a fifth straight victory, but it was not to be. Taking advantage of the ability to advance the ball to halfcourt after a timeout, the Griffins inbounded to Mariah Martin, who then found Carlsen in the corner for the game-winner.
 
"We left just a little too much time at the end, but you can't plan for that," Haave said. "You can't say score with two seconds left (instead of four) so they have no time."
 
Said Navarette: "It's a pretty hard loss that is definitely going to sting for a little bit. But I'm proud of everybody. Everyone fought hard and showed a lot of heart."
 
Coming off a big last-minute win Friday over Colorado Mesa, picked to repeat as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion, MSU Denver (5-4 overall, 4-3 RMAC) took aim at Westminster (3-1, 3-1), picked to finish a close third.
 
And while Navarette carried the offense with 32 points Friday, the Roadrunners played without her for much of the first half Saturday after she picked up three early fouls while being limited to eight minutes of action.
 
"I just tried to be loud and vocal on the bench and do what I could to encourage everyone," Navarette said. "The team really stepped it up. Our leaders – Maggie (Justinak), Alex (Carlton), Morgan (Lewis) – were strong. Then I just did what I could when I got in there."
 
And so the Roadrunners, who fell behind 10-0 to start the game even with Navarette, managed to hang in there while even leading briefly in the second quarter before trailing 35-31 at halftime.
 
"We started off slow," Haave said. "I think there may have been a little bit of a Mesa hangover. But we got ourselves back in it. But little things here and there are the difference between winning and losing. You hurt because you want to take advantage of these opportunities when you're at home. But the upside is that it was one of the better teams in our conference, and after this weekend I think we can compete with anybody in our conference.
 
Indeed the Roadrunners' three league losses were to the teams picked to finish first, second and third, and the loss to Western Colorado – now ranked 13^th in the country – came after MSU Denver had a 14-point lead.
 
On Saturday, Navarette scored 18 of her 25 points in the second half, as she made 6 of 9 from the field and all five of her free throws after the break.
 
Still, the Roadrunners trailed by nine with 7:31 to go before getting back into the game.
 
Lewis' jumper tied it 66-66 with 2:50 left, then Justinak's 3 made it 69-69 with 1:51 to go. Navarette hit two free throws to put the Roadrunners ahead 71-70 with 1:12 left, then Lewis made two with 28 seconds to go for a 73-72 advantage.
 
But, after Navarette's last layup, Westminster had one last shot.
 
Lewis finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, and freshman guard Kendra Parra had her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
 
"I think this will encourage us to come out even stronger and not let a game like this slip away again," Navarette said. "It's hard to lose. I hate losing more than I love to win. So it's definitely tough to swallow, but I know this is a good learning experience for us."