DENVER – MSU Denver arose from its first-half slumber Friday night, outscoring New Mexico Highlands by 17 points in the final 20 minutes for a 62-51 victory.
 
"The biggest thing we talked about at halftime was pace offensively and pace defensively," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "We seemed a little tentative, too. We had to grind it out a little bit. And we just played faster."
 
The Roadrunners scored 25 points in the third quarter alone after getting just 23 in the first half while falling behind 29-23 at the break.
 
"We came out with more intensity," guard Brianna Bailey said. "And we weren't going to walk out of here without a win."
 
Freshman post Brianna Sealy was dominant inside, scoring a career-high 15 points in just 16 minutes while making 6 of 7 from the field.
 
"I've been focused on what I need to do well," Sealy said. "I was kind of angry. There was some trash-talking going on and that kind of fueled me."
 
The Roadrunners were plus-15 when Sealy was on the floor.
 
"She's a force to be reckoned with," Bailey said. "I tell her to put it up every time she has the ball in there. She knows what she's doing and she produces."
 
Sealy continues to develop her low-post offensive moves. Frequently called for traveling before the holiday break, Sealy showed deft footwook and excellent polish Friday.
 
"We've shown her a lot of film, and she's put the work in," Haave said. "She's slowing down and really responding well. She's very coachable."
 
Guard Kendra Parra posted her third career double-double – and second of the season – with 13 points and 10 rebounds while also adding four assists and three steals. Miza Gilberto grabbed seven of her nine rebounds in the fourth quarter.
 
Freshman Mikylah Espinosa made clutch plays on both ends of the court while getting 10 points. Jaiden Galloway dished out six assists. And Bailey knocked down a pair of 3-pointers while scoring eight points – she also grabbed her MSU Denver high of six rebounds.
 
"I do like it when other teams play zone," Bailey said. "It gives me a few more chances to shoot the ball and my teammates get me the ball. They believe in me, and I let it fly."
 
Helped by 17 offensive rebounds, the Roadrunners had a 45-31 edge on the boards – their plus-14 margin was a season best.
 
"That's a huge thing that we've been focusing on – crashing the boards," Sealy said. "We've been getting outrebounded quite a bit."
 
MSU Denver (5-8 overall, 3-4 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) plays again Saturday at 4 p.m. against CSU Pueblo.