DENVER – MSU Denver saw all of its 13-point fourth-quarter lead slip away, but the resilient Roadrunners recovered and made key plays down the stretch Friday night for another feel-good victory, 62-59 over Fort Lewis.
 
"I'm really pleased that, even though things weren't going our way, we found a way to win," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said. "We had enough courage, guts, persistence, to finish the game.
 
Fort Lewis had cut the Roadrunners' lead from 46-33 to 51-50 before Brooklynn Jones hit a 3-pointer with 3:06 go. But then the Skyhawks tied it 54-54 with 2:25 to play.
 
Tosjanae Bonds hit a free throw to put MSU Denver back in front, and then Jones hit another 3 with 1:31 to play for a 58-54 lead.
 
Fort Lewis closed within 58-57, but Jackie Pippett hit two free throws with 29 seconds left and Ashlyn Yow made two more with 14 seconds left to seal MSU Denver's sixth win in its last nine games.
 
"It's been a tough season, but it's been enlightening," Pippett said. "I really want to finish on a good note."
 
MSU Denver, 9-17 overall and 8-13 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, closes its season Saturday with a 5 p.m. Senior Night game against Adams State.
 
Pippett, a junior college transfer, had a season-high 15 points and matched her season best with seven rebounds to lead the Roadrunners.
 
"Jackie had a huge game for us, making some good decisions in that zone," Haave said. "She's just a workhorse. She's had some injuries and some sickness and now she's finally coming into her own, which is great to see."
 
Jones knocked down 4 of 9 from 3-point range as her late-season hot streak continues – she's shooting 44.4 percent from 3 (24 of 54) over her last 10 games to improve to 36.9 percent for the season. She also grabbed a career-high six rebounds.
 
"We want to go out with a bang," Jones said. "Unfortunately we didn't make the (RMAC) tournament, but we can do what we can do."
 
Mikylah Espinosa made 3 of 5 from 3 (the Roadrunners shot 40.0 percent, 10 of 25, from distance) for nine points, and Yow scored eight while making 2 of 3 from deep.
 
Bonds and Darla Hernandez each grabbed eight rebounds.
 
"At the end, we got just enough stops and hit just enough shots," Haave said.