DENVER – After hanging close with top-five national opponent Black Hills State for the first half Friday night, MSU Denver couldn't keep pace in the final 20 minutes of an 84-62 defeat.
 
Several players played reduced – if any – minutes after illness hit the team throughout the week. Oh, and Black Hills State (9-0 overall, 3-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) is really good.
 
"We made a great run in the first half, and we were right there neck-and-neck with them," MSU Denver coach Dan Ficke said. "But when they made that first run the first four minutes of the second half, we reached down and there was nothing in the tank. Guys have been sick all week.
 
"Hats off to Black Hills though. We did a great job on all their other guys (other than stars Joel Scott and Adam Moussa), but if we had a little more oomph we could have done better."
 
Following a key road win last weekend against a Colorado Mesa team receiving votes in both national polls, MSU Denver (4-5, 1-2) knew it was taking a decided step up against Nos. 5 and 4 Black Hills State.
 
The Roadrunners led by four points multiple times in the first eight minutes, then closed the first half by scoring seven of the final 11 points to stay within 39-37.
 
Black Hills State pushed the lead out to 53-41, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Caleb McGill and Quinten Rock made it a six-point game with 13:12 to play and Yaw Reneer's basket with 10:51 left got MSU Denver within 58-53.
 
But the Roadrunners could get no closer.
 
"For us, as a young team, we want to understand what we're capable of," Ficke said. "Who we were Saturday night (at Mesa) and who we were in the first half tonight, is who we are ultimately capable of being. We had a lot of adversity this week."
 
Jaden Kennis led MSU Denver with 10 points, and veteran Chandler Bevans added a strong nine points and six rebounds.
 
"I love Chandler," Ficke said. "He doesn't back down. He's all in, all the time. Whether things are good or bad, he just wants to help the team win."
 
Said Bevans: "I'm just trying to get us extra possessions by fighting as hard as I can on the offensive boards every time a shot goes up."
 
MSU Denver must bounce back and play again Saturday at 6 p.m. against South Dakota Mines (2-7, 1-2). South Dakota Mines has played a difficult schedule and lost Friday by only 68-61 at national-top 10 opponent Colorado School of Mines.
 
"We're excited for it," Bevans said. "We're ready to get back out there. The best thing about this league is playing on back-to-back nights, so we've got to be ready to go back out there tomorrow."
 
Said Ficke: "We've just got to find a way tomorrow. No excuses. Everybody is a little sick this time of year. We've got to find a way to get one."