DENVER, Colo. – Derrick White scored seven points in the final two minutes to put No. 18 University of Colorado Colorado Springs ahead 72-71 with 17.1 seconds to play, but No. 14 Metropolitan State University of Denver made a baseline jumper with 1.2 seconds to play to claim a 73-72 decision in the Auraria Event Center. UCCS (23-5 / 17-5 RMAC) will be the No. 3 seed in the RMAC Tournament that begins on Tuesday.

Darius Pardner scored a season-high 21 points, and scored eight of the Mountain Lions' first 11 points as UCCS built a five-point lead at 11-6 with 15:42 to play in the first half. The first half featured eight lead changes and six ties, and it was a tie at the break at 34-34. UCCS held the Roadrunners to 20 percent shooting from the three-point line in the first half, but MSU Denver shot better overall from the field at 47 percent.

The Mountain Lions put together the first extended rally for either team in the second half with a 6-0 run to take a 51-46 lead with just less than 12 minutes to play. MSU Denver responded with its own 11-point run to take the 57-51 advantage, and led by at least two possessions until late in the game.

UCCS held MSU Denver to no field goals for nearly three minutes, and a layup from Dalton Patten in that span cut the Roadrunner lead down to three points at 68-65 with 2:21 to play. MSU Denver retook a five-point advantage 15 seconds later, and it went back to a three-point game on a jumper from White with 1:43 to play. 

Alex Welsh grabbed the defensive rebound on the other end, and White tied it up at 70-70 with a three-pointer with 57.4 seconds to play. A foul called against White sent MSU Denver to the free throw line, where the Roadrunners missed their first but made their second to take a 71-70 lead with 39.2 seconds left. White put UCCS ahead at 72-71 on a shot with 17.1 seconds to play, and both teams called timeouts to before the start of the inbounds play.

The Roadrunners drew the clock down, and got the ball into the left corner. A shot fake moved MSU Denver closed to the basket, and the baseline jumper went in with 1.2 seconds to play. The Mountain Lions were able to successfully get a long pass down to Pardner, who made his move to the basket and drew contact, but it was ruled to take place after the buzzer sounded.

Pardner recorded his first 20-point game since his freshman season and was four-of-seven from the three-point line. Patten finished with 14 points, with 12 points in the second half, while Alex Welsh and Derrick White both scored 13. White added six assists and four steals to lead the Mountain Lions in both categories.

UCCS will play at home at 8 p.m., on Tuesday, March 3, in the RMAC Shootout Quarterfinals, against Colorado Mesa. MSU Denver earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and earned the right to host the semifinal and championship rounds on March 6-7 if the Roadrunners win on Tuesday.