DENVER – Saturday at the Auraria Event Center, the MSU Denver women's basketball team aired an episode of Extreme Makeover: Short-Handed Edition.
The Roadrunners played without their leading scorer, their leading rebounder (and third-leading scorer), and another key starter. They've been down one other starter since the third game of the season. They suited up 10 players, though only nine were available to play and only eight actually did. And two players were limping noticeably throughout the game. And they did it against one of the better teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
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The Roadrunners beat CSU Pueblo – and won it going away no less – in heart-warming and feel-good fashion worthy of television, 58-42. The Roadrunners scored the final 14 points of the game, keeping CSU Pueblo scoreless for the final 6:19.
"One thing … just a ton of heart," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "We talked about it at shootaround (this morning) and said, 'Everyone needs to do a little bit more."
Said guard Tosjanae Bonds: "Somebody had to step up on the team. And it just happened to be all of us."
Bonds, who has been coming back from injury in fits and starts all season, simply willed her way to her second career double-double, with 11 points and a career-best tying 11 rebounds to go with three steals.
Jaiden Galloway, whose previous career best was six rebounds, had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds to go with five assists.
Those two, by the way, stand 5-foot-5 and 5-6, respectively.
"We were all just together," Galloway said. "We all bought in. It was amazing. It felt so good. We had so much trust in each other."
Things seemed to be slipping away in the second quarter, as CSU Pueblo built an 18-10 lead with 6:34 left, but the Roadrunners managed to stay within 27-21 at halftime.
"We were without two major, key players," Haave said, referring to Kendra Parra and Brianna Sealy, who both took elbows to the head Friday (no fouls were called) and were out Saturday. "So it was going to take some time for us to get used to that. We talked about that at halftime – get your rhythm and we'll get there."
MSU Denver outscored CSU Pueblo 37-15 in the final 20 minutes.
Brianna Bailey knocked down three straight 3-pointers in a span of 2:31 while helping turn a 33-25 deficit into a 39-36 advantage, and freshman guard Ashlyn Yow muscled her way to a layup at the buzzer for a five-point lead.
The fourth quarter wasn't really much of a contest.
Bailey finished with 18 points – the former Division III star's highest output in three seasons at MSU Denver – while knocking down 6 of 10 from 3. She also played while limping for a portion of the game.
"Bri Bailey got hot, and that put us over the top," Haave said. "That's a fifth-year senior leading. She just caught it and shot it. A lot of courage from that kid."
Said Bonds: "When she had the ball, I just started walking back on defense – because I knew she was going to drill it. She's a shooter by heart and I'm glad she's on our team."
Also moving that bus for MSU Denver were Mikylah Espinosa, with 11 points, and Miza Gilberto, who had four key points, nine rebounds and two steals.
For much of the night, both teams played with guard-heavy lineups. Gilberto was basically the only non-guard to play more than four minutes.
"It was great for us because we matched up well with them," Haave said.
Still, for a team that has had its ups and downs – with one of the down last weekend in a loss at a previously one-win Chadron State team – this win was an unexpected happy ending.
"This weekend as a whole, I think we just said, 'You know what, it can't get any worse,'" Galloway said. "Getting better at the little things was the main goal. Coached harped on defense and boxing out, and that's what we did the last two games."
Now MSU Denver, 6-8 overall, is right back in the middle – or should we say heart – of the RMAC race at 4-4 in league play.
"Now we know we have the ability to push against anyone," Bonds said. "We won't play down to any team. We just need to be together, play together and play smart."
Haave is in her 17th season as a head coach, including 13 at MSU Denver, and has won 246 regular-season games. Where does this one rank?
"It's got to be in the top five," she said. "Because if you looked at it on paper, it just looked tough. But you never underestimate the power of belief, and faith."
