DENVER – Up-tempo style fueled by quick guards?
 
Two can play at that game.
 
Undaunted by Adams State's high-pressure defense, the MSU Denver women's basketball team earned another key Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory Friday night, defeating the Grizzlies 71-67 to move up to sixth place in the league.
 
"It feels really good," point guard Jaiden Galloway said. "We knew that team is near the top of our conference, but at this point we don't really care. We're going to do whatever it takes to win, and that's what we did tonight."
 
Although Adams State (13-6 overall, 9-4 RMAC) bounced back and eventually led briefly in the second quarter, the Roadrunners (9-10, 7-6) gained the confidence needed to play against the Grizzlies' style while jumping out to a 12-0 lead to start the game.
 
"That was huge," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "We surprised them. But then we were surprised when they came back at us. But we talked about it all week that they were going to be flying at us. They weren't nearly as aggressive the second half until they needed to be at the end."
 
Said Galloway: "It's hard, but we have fast guards too. It's just a matter of being able to settle in and attack their press."
 
Galloway scored a career-best 20 points while knocking down 9 of 10 free throws and adding five assists.
 
"She hit big free throws, five assists, just came up big," Haave said. "She's playing like a fifth-year senior. Since January she's really kind of taken it to the next level. And it's no coincidence that we've been playing better as a team as a result."
 
On We Back Pat Night, with the Roadrunners wearing light blue T-shirts in support of a cure for Alzheimer's disease, another big moment was celebrated by Mikylah Espinosa, who had her high school coach and former teammates in attendance.
 
Espinosa was up to the task, compiling a strong plus-16 rating, and scored 15 points in just 25 minutes of action due to first-half foul trouble.
 
"I was nervous," Espinosa said. "My coach talks about me a lot. He holds me to a high standard, and I want to show him that I can do it."
 
Espinosa, a true freshman, seemed supremely comfortable playing in a fast-paced, guard-driven game.
 
"We matched up pretty well with them," Haave said. "They've got quick guards, but so do we. I didn't think anyone was as small as we are, but they were."
 
RMAC scoring leader Kendra Parra continued to show her all-around game, recording her fourth career double-double (and third this season) with 14 points and 11 rebounds. And Miza Gilberto continued to be a rebounding mizchine, pulling down eight while scoring 11 points.
 
"That team has been playing great, up to fourth place in the league and leading the league in scoring," Haave said. "You're never going to be able to stop a team like that from doing everything it wants, but we were able to limit our turnovers."
 
The Roadrunners have won five of their last seven games, with the only losses coming by a combined four points to league leaders Colorado School of Mines and Regis. They'll try to continue ascending Saturday, with a 3:30 p.m. game against Fort Lewis.
 
"One game at a time, just keep grinding and we'll see what happens," Haave said.