DENVER - In a matchup between two teams that both average 80 points or more a game, one would expect a high-scoring affair. However, this was not the case in the Roadrunners' last home game at the Auraria Event Center. MSU Denver came out swinging, leading 8-2 early and forcing the Orediggers to commit two turnovers before the first media timeout. Caleb McGill led the charge with 6 early points all coming in the paint. However, that energy was not carried over for the entire first half as the Roadrunners went on a nearly 8-minute scoreless drought to close the half that brought them into the locker room down 30-28
The second half began with careless mistakes as MSU Denver committed three turnovers on their first four possessions that saw the Orediggers' lead grow to 10. The Roadrunners fought back and cut the lead to three or less multiple times, but they were never able to get over the hump before eventually falling by five. There are a lot of positives to take away from this game as the team can clearly compete with the best in the country. In their two losses to Colorado School of Mines they lost by a combined 4.5 points. They only committed 10 turnovers all night and held the Orediggers' leading scorer Majok Deng scoreless. Defensively they locked in holding their opponent to 18 less points than their season average. However, the energy spent on that end of the court probably affected their performance on the other end as the team shot 36% from the field and 29% from three. The Roadrunners will have 3 more games on the season all coming on the road to have a chance to stay in the top three of the RMAC.
Key Players
MSU Denver:
Caleb McGill - 18 points 6 rebounds 1 steal 1 block on 7-11 shooting and 2-4 from three
Brayden Carter - 12 points 11 rebounds on 4-10 shooting (8th double double)
Colorado School of Mines:
Markus Pastorcic-Straun - 17 points 3 assists 2 steals on 8-13 shooting
Riley Schroeder - 16 points 4 rebounds on 6-12 shooting
Next game is on Saturday, February 22nd at Regis University in Denver.
