DENVER – Chadron State is skilled, pesky and gritty.
 
But, inevitably, the Eagles weren't able to match up inside with an MSU Denver men's basketball team that is tall, talented and tenacious.
 
"We took the first punch in the first half and weathered their storm," freshman forward Marzouq Ibn Abdur-Razaaq said. "Once we started to take off, we made sure we kept our foot on their neck. And it worked out for us."
 
With Abdur-Razaaq, Mario Lacy, Jr., and Caleb McGill each scoring 17 points, MSU Denver had a 56-30 advantage in points in the paint and pulled away in the second half for an 84-63 victory Saturday night.
 
"If we can establish that inside presence, which we did early in the season, it takes so much pressure off our perimeter players," MSU Denver coach Dan Ficke said. "Marzouq has gotten better every game, and now Caden (Holmes) is starting to figure some things out … and now (combined with Lacy and McGill) we could potentially have one of the better frontcourts in the country."
 
The Roadrunners (9-3 overall, 3-3 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) fell behind 7-0 to start the game and still trailed 25-16 late in the first half. But they finished the first half with an 18-5 burst to lead 34-30, and needed only another 4:13 to start the second half to push the lead to 51-35. The 17-5 run to start the second half made the overall run 35-10 in just 10:04 of game time.
 
"At halftime we were talking, and we knew what we needed to do," Lacy said. "We knew we needed to come out guns blazing. We didn't do a very good job of coming out fast to start the second half during the first semester. Now I don't hope, I know, it's going to happen like this the rest of the year."
 
The 17 points for the 6-foot-6 Abdur-Razaaq represented a career high for the true freshman.
 
"Zouq is a problem," Lacy said. "He knows his way around the basket, knows what to do. He doesn't rush any of his shots. He can play on the perimeter, or he can take you into the post. And he's only a freshman. He's only going to get better."
 
Said Ficke: "His versatility makes him a matchup nightmare for other teams. If you put someone smaller on him, they might be quicker, but he's more physical and he knows how to get where he wants to go without charging. And if you want to put a bigger guy on him, he's got the skills and the ballhandling ability to get where he wants to go that way. And now he's really worked on being able to make open 3s."
 
Lacy grabbed 11 rebounds while posting his 25^th career double-double, including his fourth this season. Lacy was 7 of 10 from the field, and McGill made 8 of 10.
 
"We definitely had a huge advantage in the paint," Lacy said. "They really couldn't stop us, and if they double teamed us our guards and our forwards could get open shots on the perimeter."
 
Chadron State (8-5, 5-2) shot just 34.6 percent from the field, and was limited to 1 of 10 from 3-point range while being outscored 50-33 in the second half.

KJ Garrett ripped a career-best seven steals, the most by an MSU Denver player since Reggie Evans had eight in a 97-79 win over New Mexico Highlands on Jan. 15, 2010.
 
"We've challenged them ever since we got back (from the holiday break) that it was all about defense," Ficke said. "If we have a defensive mindset, a physical mindset, a rebounding mindset, then our offense would take care of itself and we'll have a chance to win a lot of games. Our guys responded really well to that.
 
"The second half was probably our best defensive effort of the year, outside of the second half against West Texas A&M."
 
Though just eighth in the RMAC at 3-3, MSU Denver has played four of the top five teams in the early part of the league schedule, with the victory over Chadron State its first against the top group.
 
The victory helped ease the sting of the Roadrunners' last game, a Dec. 13 home loss to third-place Colorado School of Mines.
 
"As a coach, all you're thinking about is that last game," Ficke said. "And when you have to go almost a month after losing to a team that's really your rival from down the street – it was miserable from a basketball standpoint for our staff thinking about how do we get better and get our guys going again.
 
'It's great to start the New Year off this way, especially with a long road trip next weekend. With this one under our belt, hopefully we'll get some confidence built."