DENVER – With four of its top seven in street clothes Friday night, MSU Denver knew it needed some big contributions from players who hadn't yet had big opportunities.
 
And the Roadrunners got them.
 
Two players made their first MSU Denver starts, another started for just the third time, and Jordon Heckert showed she was ready to prime time with a career night off the bench as the Roadrunners built a big lead and then cruised to the finish for a 75-69 victory over Fort Lewis.
 
"Everybody on our team can play," Heckert said. "That's why we're all here. Whether we're on the court or on the bench, we're going to do what we need to do to win the games. We show up at practice every day, every single one of us, and we'll be ready."
 
Reigning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year Allie Navarette had arguably her best game of the season with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
 
But Heckert, the true freshman who had appeared in only three games for a total of 25 minutes previously this season, had 11 points, three rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes. She previously had a total of five points, two rebounds and two assists.
 
"Jordon can score," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "And she's really starting to understand how to fit in with the offense, and defensively she's getting to understand that, too."
 
Forward Anais Bonnemaison and guard Mariana Silva Pereira started for the first time and Brianna Bailey, who started twice last season after joining the team as a semester-break transfer, also moved into a starting role.
 
Bailey stood out with three first-half 3-pointers – the MSU Denver high for the former Division III star – as MSU Denver (7-4 overall, 3-3 RMAC) built leads of 9-0, 14-2 and 37-19 before going into halftime with a 44-30 advantage.
 
"We shot the ball really well in the first half," Haave said of the 53.8 percent performance (14 of 26), which included 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
 
Then Heckert scored nine second-half points.
 
"I'm super proud of her," Navarette said. "She's one of the people who is in the gym all the time. It showed in the game. She was able to hit shots, because they were just another shot to her."
 
Said Heckert: "I just knew I needed to take the right shots on offense. That's something I've been working on.
 
"We've been in a hard place as a team this week. We just didn't know who was going to be here. I knew I had to be ready tonight, whether I played or not. It was cool to get an opportunity, but everybody on this team was ready."
 
The Roadrunners led by at least nine the entire third quarter before Fort Lewis – with a bevy of 3s and some untimely MSU Denver turnovers and missed free throws – made it a bit uncomfortable in pulling within 70-65 with 1:13 to go.
 
But Mya Jones' second straight layup off the Roadrunners' press-breaker quickly restored the lead to 72-65 and MSU Denver was able to breathe easier.
 
"We did just enough to win, which was huge for us dealing with the limited practice time, the limited amount of players," Haave said. "We fought through that and showed a lot of resiliency."
 
Kendra Parra added 13 points and five rebounds. She was one of just three of the top seven players, in terms of of average minutes per game, who was available.
 
Haave brought both Jones and Navarette off the bench, and each responded nicely.
 
Jones had 10 points and eight rebounds to help support Navarette, who made a living at the free throw line as she did all of last season, hitting 12 of 17, season highs for both makes and attempts.
 
"That's what she does, and she's got that knack for it," Haave said. "It's a skill, and we needed that tonight. She did a really good job of getting to the line."
 
And while Navarette's performance seemed like last year, a season when the Roadrunners frequently played without multiple starters, so too did the atmosphere surrounding the game.
 
"You get excited and then you have games canceled," said Navarette, whose team had two games called off last weekend. "And it just makes you realize how special it is to play college basketball. It makes you grateful to be able to step out on the court. You don't realize how much you love it until it's not there."