DENVER – Just win. Maybe?
 
The game did, in fact, end.
 
And MSU Denver emerged with a hard-fought, weird and wild 60-59 victory Saturday night over South Dakota Mines after appearing to win it, lose it, and then win it again – and that was just in the final 10 seconds.
 
"How we won, giving up 23 offensive rebounds for 22 second-chance points, I don't know," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "But we had Kendra Parra shooting five free throws at the end."
 
Let's go through that final 10 seconds.
 
Trailing 58-55, Parra – the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's leading scorer – pump-faked and drew a foul on a 3-point attempt.
 
The best free throw shooter in MSU Denver history at 88.9 percent (168 of 189), calmly swished all three to tie it.
 
Overtime, and probable victory, ahead, right.
 
Think again.
 
South Dakota Mines looked for the winning score on a 3-pointer just before the buzzer that Mikylah Espinosa appeared briefly to have blocked. But a referee's whistle blew and Espinosa was charged with a foul with 1.7 seconds left. Three free throws.
 
Game over? Well, the Hardrockers made only 1 of 3 free throws. But still, down one with 1.7 seconds left.
 
"With 1.7 seconds left, we still didn't give up," Parra said. "We were still cheering and saying, 'Let's go.'"
 
MSU Denver called timeout to advance the ball to halfcourt, and Haave ran a play for Parra along the baseline. The defender stepped on Parra's foot twice, first rolling her own ankle and then rolling both players' ankles – both tumbled to the floor and a foul was called.
 
"We drew up a play and executed it, and I just happened to hit my free throws."
 
Of course she did. Parra has now made 25 straight free throws dating to Nov. 25 after making 7 of 7 Saturday.
 
After Parra calmly swished two more and finally, it truly was game over.
 
"She's the one you want up there," Haave said. "And that's why I set up the last two plays for her. She's such a competitor, she'll find a way. And she did."
 
Parra scored 21 points, pushing her scoring average back to 18.6 per game with her sixth 20-point game of the season. That was despite being limited to 23 minutes due to foul trouble in a game that was rough-and-tumble under the basket but not so much so on the perimeter.
 
MSU Denver led 13-2 to start the game and 18-9 after the first quarter before foul trouble and the Hardrockers' nonstop physical effort on the boards began taking a toll.
 
"It was frustrating, but we're a small team and I think that's something that's going to happen as we go through the season," said freshman post Brianna Sealy, who had 11 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots but was limited to 17 minutes because of fouls. "We need to be more aggressive. We're strong enough to get more rebounds."
 
MSU Denver led 32-23 at halftime but it was down to 43-42 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Then the lead changed hands eight times in the final frame.
 
Did it ever feel like the game was won, or lost?
 
"Not until the end," Haave said.