Box Score DENVER – UCCS used an 18-6 run spanning halftime to break open a close game and then held off MSU Denver for an 86-75 victory Thursday night.
 
The Mountain Lions hit three quick transition 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds of the opening frame to turn a 37-37 tie into a 46-41 lead, then hit two more from long range while scoring nine of the first 11 points of the second half for a 55-43 advantage.
 
"When you don't match up and give them open looks, any good player is going to make it," MSU Denver coach Michael Bahl said. "That happened two or three times, and that's the difference between being up two or down five. It's one of those things we've got to improve."
 
MSU Denver never got closer to seven points the rest of the way.
 
"We got sloppy and they capitalized," MSU Denver point guard Keyshaad Dixon said. "I think that got them into a rhythm and gave them confidence going forward."
 
MSU Denver outshot the Mountain Lions and in fact outscored them from the field – 63-56 – despite giving up 10 3-pointers.
 
UCCS shot 35 free throws (making 30) to MSU Denver's 18 (with 12 makes), even though the Roadrunners never gave up late fouls in the endgame.
 
"You've got to give them credit," Bahl said. "They've been doing it all year. They did a great job of attacking us. And I didn't think we were necessarily driving to score. We were driving looking for fouls and sometimes when you do that, you don't get the calls you want. But give them credit. They shot 35 free throws and we shot 18, and that was the difference in the game."
 
UCCS shot 42.6 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from 3. The Roadrunners shot 43.8 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from long range.
 
"Offensively we got good looks, we just didn't hit enough," Dixon said.
 
Despite even more physical attention, MSU Denver's Laolu Oke – the NCAA Division II national leader in offensive rebounds per game (5.6), who also ranked second in total rebounds (103) and 10^th in rebounds per game (11.4) – managed yet another double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
 
"He's just going to have to get used to it," Bahl said. "He's going to have to get used to guys beating on him, pushing on him and those types of things."
 
Kobe Sanders led the Roadrunners with 18 points, while Mavrick Gildyard scored 14 and Dixon had nine points and nine assists.
 
"We've lacked energy the last couple of days," Bahl said. "And it's a game of energy, enthusiasm and how you handle adversity.
 
"The game got away from us, and we did a very poor job of handling adversity. It catches up to you when you play a quality opponent."