LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Guard Kendra Parra had a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds and, on a night when MSU Denver struggled mightily from 3-point range, the Roadrunners still collected their first win of the season Tuesday, defeating Colorado Christian 67-61 in a non-conference game.
 
MSU Denver, which started the season 0-4 while playing three teams coming off appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, trailed by nine, 46-37, with three minutes left in the third quarter before rallying.
 
Parra and Mariana Silva Pereira each hit a free throw, then Brianna Sealy scored in the lane. Parra's three-point play, followed by two more Parra free throws, tied the game 46-46, capping a 9-0 run in 2:02.
 
"It was a hard-fought win, but we got it," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "It was a really good win for us. We've still got to figure out that third quarter – we keep coming out flat. But we've always been able to come back from it, so that's good."
 
Parra, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's leading scorer at 21.4 points per game, connected on 6 of 13 from the field and 10 of 12 free throws for her fourth 20-plus point game in five tries this season. Her 11 rebounds were a career high.
 
Sealy's basket with 9:03 left in the game put the Roadrunners ahead to stay at 50-48, and Ashlyn Yow's 3-pointer with 6:03 to go gave the Roadrunners some breathing room at 54-49.
 
It was the first – and only – made 3 for MSU Denver in 20 attempts. The Roadrunners – just barely – extended their streak of making at least one 3 in a game to 318. The streak started on Nov. 14, 2010, after the Roadrunners were unable to connect from long range in Haave's first game as head coach one day earlier.
 
"Oh my gosh, the 3 by Ashlyn was huge," Haave said. "That team was longer than we were and we rushed some shots to get them off before they could block it. We just have to be more shot-ready, use our legs more and take our time."
 
After seeing opponents shoot 40.3 percent (27 of 67) from 3-point range in two games last weekend, MSU Denver stopped Colorado Christian from distance Tuesday – the Cougars were just 2 of 20.
 
"Colorado Christian was averaging nine made 3s per game," Haave said. "Our goal was to give them three a half, but we limited them to one in each half. We wanted to speed them up and make sure we weren't too passive on our closeouts, to get our hands up and not let them be too comfortable. I think we did a good job of that."
 
Sealy, the true freshman forward, had another solid effort with 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting to go with seven rebounds. Silva Pereira posted her third straight double-figures scoring game with 10. Jaiden Galloway scored five points and added a team-best five assists to go with two steals.
 
After Yow's 3, the Roadrunners led by at least five points the rest of the way. MSU Denver made 7 of 8 free throws in the final 1:17 to keep Colorado Christian (3-2) at bay.
 
"It was great to get the monkey off our back and get a win," Haave said. "This is a group that can learn how to win. We're still developing, but that's a team that took it to us in this gym last year. … It's just a continuous process of learning over the course of the whole season. It's going to be a journey – it is with every team, but with this team it's a whole new, young group."
 
MSU Denver plays its home opener Friday at 2 p.m. against Texas-Permian Basin (3-1).