DENVER  Western Colorado came back from a three-points first quarter and a 21-point deficit to take the lead in the third quarter, but host MSU Denver regained its early momentum to rally back and score a 62-55 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win Saturday afternoon.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: MSU Denver def. Western, 62-55
Records: Western 11-9 overall (9-5 RMAC), MSUD 10-13 (8-6)
Location: Auraria Events Center, Denver, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Western didn't score its first points of the game until there was 4:07 left in the first quarter, finally halting a 13-0 Roadrunner start to the frame.
• By the end of the quarter the Mountaineers found themselves in a 24-3 hole, but soon began to find their scoring touch while at the same time, cooling off the Roadrunners.
• Trailing 33-13 in the second, Western ran off a14-0 run to close within six, 33-27, entering the halftime break.
• The run was fueled by long-range shooting that finally heated up as Ivey Schmidt hit a pair of 3-pointers, Jayda Maves splashed one, and Alyssa Eckroth came away with the fourth.
• The Mountaineers expanded on that momentum after the break, scoring the opening points of the third quarter that sparked an 11-2 run that pushed Western into the lead.
• Maves added another triple in that span, and the Mountaineers gained their first lead, 36-35, on an offensive rebound and putback by Eckroth, who then added another jumper for a 38-35 Mountaineer advantage.
• The game turned, though, with MSU Denver's response, as it scored 11 unanswered points to create an eight-point gap, 46-38, from which Western wasn't able to recover.

COURT NOTES

• After a 1-for-15 first quarter, Western went 9-for-17 in the second, including 6-of-13 from behind the arc. However, its hot hand cooled off during the third quarter and grew even more chilly in the fourth when it hit just 3-of-16 from the floor.
• Schmidt and Maves led the way with 17 points apiece for the Mountaineers, while Eckroth also reached double figures with a 10-point afternoon.
• Western registered a commanding presence off the glass, forging a 43-32 rebounding advantage, but only accumulated 14 second chance points off that total.
• Chloe Daniels and Schmidt each came away with a game-high eight rebounds, with Eckroth and Penelope Urquhart adding seven each to help create that rebounding advantage.
• Opportunities at the free throw line were few and far between for both teams. Western went to the striped just seven times, hitting six of their attempts, while MSUD was 4-of-5 from the line.

UP NEXT
Western returns to its home court for its next three games, beginning with visiting Adams State on February 12.