PUEBLO, Colo. – Kendra Parra forced overtime with a clutch 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds left, then MSU Denver attacked inside in the extra sessions and dominated the second overtime to earn a clutch 84-74 victory Tuesday night at CSU-Pueblo.
 
"It was just a gutsy, grind-it-out win," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said.
 
CSU-Pueblo got a 3 with 32.5 seconds left in regulation to take a 59-57 lead and made 1 of 2 free throws with 16.5 seconds to go for a three-point lead. But point guard Alex Carlton emerged from a scramble and found Parra on the left wing. Then Parra pump-faked to get a defender to fly by, took one dribble to the right, and then swished the game-tying shot.
 
It was the only field goal MSU Denver made in the fourth quarter.
 
"We hadn't hit many, so she picked a good time to hit one," Haave said, laughing.
 
Parra then hit a 3 for the first basket of the first overtime and the Roadrunners led by four after a pair of Carlton free throws before CSU-Pueblo (12-4 overall, 8-2 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) went on an 8-2 run for a 69-67 lead. But Morgan Griego knocked down a jumper from the elbow to tie the game with 60 seconds left and neither team could score in the rest of the session.
 
In the second overtime, MSU Denver (9-4, 5-3) took control. Star ThunderWolves center Alisha Davis had fouled out in the first overtime and MSU Denver's inside game took full advantage in the final five minutes.
 
Griego scored on a layup off an assist from Navarette, and then Navarette scored inside. When Griego fed Navarette for a three-point play on which star CSU-Pueblo point guard JaNaiya Davis fouled out, MSU Denver had a 76-69 lead and a clear path to an important win.
 
"Our strength is our inside game," Haave said. "We didn't do a very good job getting it there in the first half – we had a hard time even starting our offense against them. But their pressure subsided in the second half, and we want to get it inside no matter who we're playing against."
 
MSU Denver, which ranked 18^th in Division II in free throw shooting last season with a school-record percentage of 78.3, was connecting at only a 69.9 percent clip this seaosn, including just 18 of 33 Friday at Colorado Mesa.
 
But the Roadrunners made 35 of 40 from the charity stripe (87.5 percent) Tuesday.
 
MSU Denver made all seven of its free throws in the second overtime, both of its first-overtime tries, and 13 of 14 in the fourth quarter.
 
The 35 made free throws were the most by a Roadrunners team since at least 2002. The school record is 38, against Denver on Feb. 15, 1992.
 
"That was huge," Haave said. "And the good thing is we're getting to the line again. For a while we weren't getting to the line, but now we're getting there more than the other team and that's always a good thing."
 
Navarette made all 10 of her free throws while getting 20 points and adding nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. Parra had a season-high 18 points while making all eight of her free throws to go with eight rebounds.
 
Tosjanae Bonds once again starred defensively in slowing down JaNaiya Davis while getting nine points and four steals. Carlton had nine points and four assists, while Griego and Jaela Richardson each scored eight.
 
MSU Denver trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half against a ThunderWolves team receiving votes in the D2SIDA national top 25 poll. After shooting 25 percent from the field, the Roadrunners began chipping away and outscored CSU-Pueblo 23-13 in the third period to lead 44-42.
 
"We couldn't have played much worse in the first half, but give CSU-Pueblo credit," Haave said. "Their defense clearly affected us. We hadn't seen that kind of athleticism in a while. We were very tentative."
 
The Roadrunners were 8 of 11 from the field in the third quarter, and overcame 1 of 12 shooting in the fourth quarter with that strong 13 of 14 from the line. MSU Denver was 8 of 11 from the field in the extra sessions.
 
"We got out of it, and we never gave up and just found a way," Haave said. "To get a win like this, on the road, is big."
 
MSU Denver's depth clearly showed as it was able to avoid foul trouble and get contributions from multiple players. Its depth will be needed again with games tomorrow at Adams State and then again Friday at UCCS and Saturday at New Mexico Highlands.
 
"We have to have players who didn't play as many minutes come up big," Haave said. "We're going to need that. This is a big win for us, but we have to make sure we don't have an emotional letdown."