DENVER – MSU Denver was working overtime Tuesday night.
 
And the Roadrunners made 9 of 10 free throws in the extra session to hold off Colorado Christian 86-78 for their third straight win and 11^th win in 12 games.
 
"The theme of resilience continues," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "Clearly you don't want to go to overtime, but you've got to give them credit, they hit shots."
 
Alex Carlton was lights out with a season-high 17 points on 4 of 5 shooting from 3-point range, and Kendra Parra scored a team-best 18 while making 6 of 13 from the field as the Roadrunners improved to 16-5 overall and 12-4 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
"We didn't really take care of business like we needed to, and we let them back in the game," Carlton said. "But when it comes to overtime, you've got to do what you've got to do and fight hard."
 
MSU Denver led 70-64 with just over 2 ½ minutes to play in regulation, but Colorado Christian put together a late rally and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Jordyn Brown with 13 seconds to go.
 
"They have confidence against us," Haave said. "And they won't go away. I think we lost our focus a little. We weren't rebounding. We had a fast break and we wound up throwing up a bad shot. Those are things you can't do."
 
In overtime, after nearly two scoreless minutes, Carlton broke the ice with a 3-pointer with 3:08 left and MSU Denver never trailed again.
 
"Alex Carlton was a senior point guard," Haave said. "Getting steals. Making big shots. Wasn't afraid of the moment. She played really well."
 
Carlton hit two free throws with 28 seconds left for an 82-76 lead, and Parra hit four straight in the final 13 seconds to double the lead and complete the scoring.
 
"Free throws are always important, that's how you win games," Carlton said. "We shoot pressure free throws in practice all the time."
 
MSU Denver had contributions in multiple areas, as Morgan Griego had 11 points and nine rebounds and Mya Jones added 10 points on 5 of 7 shooting.
 
Jaela Richardson and Tosjanae Bonds provided their usual all-around games – Richardson had eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocked shots, while Bonds had seven points, four rebounds, three assists, six steals and a blocked shot.
 
Now MSU Denver goes on the road for a Thursday night game at South Dakota Mines.
 
"There's a lot of things we can work on, and there's a lot of teams that are going to be coming at us," Carlton said. "Everyone is fighting for a spot."