LAKEWOOD, CO – The phases of the moon nearly did a complete cycle since the last time Colorado Christian played a men's basketball game. If you are a fan of offense and intensity, it was worth the 24 day wait.

MSU Denver did just enough in the second half to grab a 76-74 victory against Colorado Christian in a hard fought contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Despite the layoff the Cougars shooting was on target in the early stages. They built a 19-15 lead just past the halfway point of the opening stanza. During those 10-plus minutes they made five of their 12 three-point attempts; led by DJ McDonald's 10 points.

The Colorado Christian tenacity was on full display over the next few minutes as they forced MSU Denver turnovers as they built their lead to 31-22 with just under six minutes left in the period. However, the final stages of the opening 20 minutes swung in the Roadrunners favor as they outscored Colorado Christian 24-12 as they took a three-point lead (46-43) into the locker room.

The visitors continued to nudge ahead as MSU Denver built their lead to 61-53 with just under 12 minutes left in the contest. However, the persistent Cougars battled back and took a 70-67 lead with 6:03 left in the contest.

Heading into the final four minutes the scoreboard had a pair of 70s. Both teams' offense hit a significant road block as neither team found the bottom of the net until the Roadrunners took the lead for good on a Laolu Oke lay-up with 2:17 left. Despite having possessions to take the lead or tie the score the Cougars couldn't get back in front. The only field goal the Cougars hit in the last seven minutes was an Andy Stafford three-pointer at buzzer.

COUGAR LEADERS: McDonald had a game high 24 points, including a 19-point opening half, to pace the Cougars scoring efforts. The transfer from UC Riverside, nailed six of his nine attempts from behind the arc.

Stafford added 20 points while playing just under 36 minutes while Ross Williams (15 points) and Justin Engesser (11) rounded out the double figure scorers.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Colorado Christian hit 15 shots from distance and 12 inside the arc
• MSU Denver hit 15 free throws while the Cougars made five
• The home team's bench scored 26 points

UP NEXT: The Cougars hit the road for two games this weekend in South Dakota. They start the set with a 4 p.m. Saturday game against South Dakota Mines.