DENVER In almost a wire-to-wire win, Western Colorado fought off second-half challenges from host MSU Denver on Thursday night, closing out a 78-70 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win over the Roadrunners behind double figures from long range and the usual advantage in rebounding.
JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. MSU Denver, 78-70
Records: Western 6-3 overall (2-1 RMAC), MSU Denver 2-7 (1-2)
Location: Auraria Event Center, Denver, Colo.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was fitting that a 3-pointer changed the lead for the final time in the game as the Mountaineers dropped in 10 triples over the course of the game. Trailing 4-3, Jayde Tschritter knocked down a trey from the left corner to push Western in front at the 6:16 mark of the first quarter.
- Jayda Maves had opened the scoring with her own 3-pointer and Tschritter added another later in the quarter to help Western head into the second frame with a 16-11 advantage.
- The Mountaineers then hit four 3's in the second quarter – at one point breaking out to a 30-18 lead – getting two more from Maves, and one each from Ivey Schmidt and Penelope Urquhart.
- MSU Denver was only able to chip into that deficit by a few points over the remainder of the quarter, allowing Western to carry a 35-26 lead into the halftime break.
- The Roadrunners solved some of their first-half issues during that break, however, and pulled to within one or two possessions several times in the third quarter. But Maves was hot from behind the arc, hitting a 3-pointer when Denver had pulled to within 42-37, and another when it had inched even closer at 45-42.
- The lead was down to 48-45 late in the third only to have Western close out the quarter with an 8-2 burst for a 10-point advantage going into the final frame.
- Maves would add her sixth 3-pointer of the game and the Mountaineers would hit 10-of-12 from the free throw line to finish off their eight-point victory, the program's second straight over the Roadrunners.
COURT NOTES
- Maves finished with a team-high 18 points, all from behind the arc where her six treys were a single-game career high.
- Two others, Rachel Cockman and Schmidt, would also reach double digits in scoring, Cockman adding 14 and Schmidt contributing 11 on the night.
- Western fell two rebounds short of their season average, but its 37-23 rebounding advantage was six better than the +8 rebounding margin with which it entered the game.
- Schmidt's eight rebounds was a game high, while Maves and Cockman added five apiece.
- The Mountaineers finished the night 10-of-19 from long range and shot 47 percent from the field.
- The Roadrunners were limited to just 25% from the floor in the first half, but their rally was fueled by a second half in which they shot 60%, including a 73% third quarter (8-of-11).
- The win elevates Western to 2-1 within league play, the first time it has been over .500 to begin conference action since the 2020-21 season.
UP NEXT
The Mountaineers travel across town for their next game, an RMAC contest on Saturday afternoon in Lakewood, Colo., against Regis University.
