COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After fighting back from a large second half deficit, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team comes up short against MSU Denver, 59-66. The Mountain Lions are now 11-7 this season and 7-6 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

UCCS could not find a rhythm offensively in the first half as they shot only 23.5 percent from the field overall (8-34 FG) and 22.2 percent from three (4-18 3PT). They picked it up in the second half, going 12-for-24 overall and 6-for-14 from long range, but it wasn't enough as MSU Denver finished the game shooting 48.2 percent.

UCCS hauled in 42 rebounds in the game but recorded only 10 assists to their 18 turnovers.

Parker Gaddis led all scorers in the game with 17 points (7-16 FG), which included a 3-for-8 performance from beyond the arc. Padiet Wang and William Becker both tallied 12 points in the game, while Becker recorded game highs in both free throws (five) and rebounds (12).

In the first half, it was a slow-paced game as neither team could build more than a four-point lead. Despite a poor shooting first half, UCCS found themselves down only two heading into the locker room, 24-26.

MSU Denver came out swinging in the second half as they opened things up with a 12-0 run in the first four minutes of play. The Roadrunners had as many as 15 points on UCCS, but the Mountain Lions answered with a 16-3 run of their own to bring the score to 44-46 with just over eight minutes to play.

Unfortunately, that is as close as UCCS would get as MSU Denver refused to surrender the lead. The Roadrunners hit some free throws down stretch to effectively seal the deal.

UCCS is back in action next weekend as they host New Mexico Highlands University and Colorado State University – Pueblo next Friday and Saturday night. Both games are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. inside the Gallogly Events Center.