Dec. 29, 2007

Box Score

DENVER, COLO. - Four players scored in double figures to lead a balanced Metro State attack as the Roadrunners defeated Newman, 73-58, at the Comfort Inn Christmas Classic women's basketball tournament, Saturday afternoon at the Auraria Events Center.

In the first game of the day, No. 8-ranked Concordia-St. Paul held UC-Colorado Springs to 12 first-half points and defeated the Mountain Lions, 68-47.

Newman whittled a 16-point first-half deficit to only six, 49-43, with 10 minutes remaining in the game, but a three-point play by Cassondra Bratton pushed Metro State's lead back to 11, 54-43, with just over eight minutes to go and the Roadrunners were never threatened again.

Stephanie Sauter had 15 points, all on three pointers, while Bratton and Ashley Mickens each had 11 points for Metro State. Newman did not have a player in double figures, but Ashley Hanson posted nine points and six boards, while Kassie Pauly had nine points, four rebounds and two assists for the Jets.

Metro State shot 10-for-20 from three-point range for the game and had a season-low nine turnovers. Newman held a 37-24 rebounding advantage but also had 22 turnovers.

The Roadrunners held a narrow 10-8 lead in the first half but went on a 15-5 run, including three treys, to lead 25-13 with less than eight minutes remaining. Metro State went into the locker room with a 12-point advantage, 40-28. The Roadrunners shot 50 percent from the floor (15-for-30) and had just four miscues in the first 20 minutes.

With the win, Metro State improves to 6-6 overall, while Newman drops to 1-10.

In the first game, UCCS led 5-2 in the early going but the Golden Bears took over from there, going on a 25-4 run to take a 27-9 lead. Concordia-St. Paul went on to a 33-12 lead at the break and never looked back. In that first half, UC-Colorado Springs shot just 4-for-30 (13 percent) from the floor and committed 12 turnovers. Katie LaViolette posted 10 points and six assists in the first 20 minutes for CSP.

For the game, UCCS shot just 22 percent from the floor and was 10-for-19 from the free throw line. Concordia-St. Paul committed 22 turnovers of its own and only shot 6-for-15 from the charity stripe, but shot 50 percent from the floor for the game and held a 49-45 rebounding advantage.

LaViolette had a double-double for the Golden Bears with 13 points and 12 assists, while Candace Olstad had 10 points and Amanda Behnke posted 11 boards. Emily Jenkins was the only Mountain Lion in double figures with 13 points and she also added seven rebounds.

With the win, Concordia-St. Paul improves to 12-0, while UC-Colorado Springs falls to 5-8 overall.

Metro State hosts Western State in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action, Jan. 5 at 5 p.m.