GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - After being down 11 points in the fourth quarter, Western State Colorado University women's basketball went on a 13-0 run to take the lead with 3:37 left to play against Dixie State University. The Mountaineers extended their lead in the final minutes to defeat DSU 68-59 in the regular season opener.

Western (1-0, 0-0 RMAC) faced DSU (0-4, 0-0 PacWest) in the first game of the Colorado Mesa University Holiday Inn - Airport Thanksgiving Classic. It was also the first game of the regular season for the Mountaineers after three exhibitions against Division I opponents.

With 7:26 left to play, DSU took an 11 point lead and looked to be heading towards their first win of the season. The Mountaineers had other ideas, going on a 13-0 run over 3:27 to take a 55-52 lead with 3:37 remaining in the game. Besides a made jumper at the 2:55 mark, Western scored the following four baskets to extend their lead to nine points 63-54 with 46 seconds left.

Leading the charge for the Mountaineers was sophomore guard Taylor Long (So., Moreno Valley, California). Long scored a career high 25 points, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded five assists. Also recording a career high in scoring was Mountaineer sophomore Carra Jackson-Brown (So., Denver, Colorado). Jackson-Brown scored 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

After being held to nine points in the third quarter, Western scored 27 points in the fourth. 

Western will continue the CMU Holiday Inn - Airport Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Oklahoma Panhandle State University.