GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – MSU Denver couldn't quite extend its February magic on Saturday, as its upset bid at Colorado Mesa came up short in a 53-45 defeat.
 
"I'm proud of the way we battled and with the way we competed, but we still walked out of there thinking that was one we could've won," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "It was a lost opportunity – but we've had a few of those."
 
MSU Denver dropped to 7-16 overall and 6-12 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
The Roadrunners are 4-2 in FebrUary, and now need quite a bit of help over the final two weekends of the regular season to sneak into the league tournament as one of the top eight teams.
 
Colorado Mesa improved to 20-5 overall and 14-4 in the RMAC – the Mavericks are one of five teams leading the league with only four losses.
 
The defensive effort was solid for MSU Denver, which limited Mesa to just 33.3 percent shooting from the field.
 
"We just couldn't get enough scoring," Haave said. "We didn't shoot the ball well enough. We had some opportunities inside that we couldn't finish, or couldn't catch and finish. We just didn't make enough plays.
 
"To hold that team to 53 points when we're on the road … we've got to be able to find a way to score 54."
 
Mikylah Espinosa led MSU Denver with 22 points, while Jackie Pippett added nine points and six rebounds and Brianna Sealy had seven points and seven rebounds.
 
MSU Denver shot just 28.6 percent from the field, its second-lowest total of the season.