DENVER – New Mexico Highlands showed why it is the hottest team in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference on Friday night, overcoming a six-point second-half deficit with an 18-0 run that paved the way to an 89-68 victory over MSU Denver.
 
The Cowboys trailed 48-42 with 14:30 to play before keeping the Roadrunners scoreless for the next 2:34 and taking a 12-point advantage. Over the final 14:30, New Mexico Highlands outscored MSU Denver 47-20 to wrap up its eighth straight win.
 
"They came in and were – I don't want to say the more desperate team, because for a stretch there we were playing hard and were really competitive," MSU Denver coach Michael Bahl said. "But it got away from us and there were too many unforced mistakes on our part that led to them getting some easy stuff. Next thing you know, you're chasing points from behind, and we're not built that way – most teams aren't. It's just disappointing."
 
Said forward Laolu Oke: "They went on a pretty big run, and we kept turning the ball over time after time. We didn't get back on defense and gave up a couple of easy baskets and and-1s. We weren't able to come together, and that's where we lost it."
 
Oke had 17 rebounds, while Miles Gibson had 17 points, Tyrei Randall scored 16 while making 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and Maris Colton added 10.
 
But the Roadrunners, who had shot 56.4 percent from the field while winning their last three games – and 53.7 percent over their last six games – connected on just 39.7 percent Friday and had 17 turnovers.
 
Highlands shot 59.5 percent from the field in the second half to finish at 49.3 percent overall.
 
MSU Denver, which led by as many as eight points in the first half, dropped to 16-8 overall and 10-8 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while Highlands improved to 13-11 and 8-10.
 
"They're playing very confidently right now, but I also thought there were times where we stood up them, held our ground, and we were the better team on the floor," Bahl said. "But unfortunately it's a 40-minute game. It got away from us for a stretch. Give them all the credit in the world."
 
MSU Denver has two more red-hot teams to play at home in the next three days – Saturday's 6 p.m. Senior Night game against UCCS and Monday's 6 p.m. rescheduled game against Fort Lewis.
 
"The season isn't over yet, we've just got a lot to work on," Oke said. "It's everybody, not just one individual person. We have to come together as a group and we have to get better. Because we all lost it out there. It wasn't just one person."
 
Said Bahl: "This group has been resilient all year. I don't know if one loss hurts more than another, it's just the way this game went that's disappointing. The guys in the locker room are disappointed, not just the coaching staff. But we've got a choice to make, as men. You can wake up (tomorrow) and fight, or wake up and lay down. I know the type of guys we recruited and have in this program, and I think we have a bunch of guys who are going to fight, and that's what we're looking for."