CHADRON, Neb. -- MSU-Denver held back a late Chadron State rally Friday night on senior night in the Chicoine Center as the Roadrunners defeated the Eagles 83-79.
 
"I'm extremely proud of the team and our four seniors," Head Coach Janet Raymer said. "They have been a huge part of building the foundation and atmosphere that we are living."
 
The Roadrunners led by four at the end of the first quarter before exploding for a 16-4 scoring run to build a sixteen-point lead. The Eagles answered with a 19-4 run of their own, lowering the deficit to one, but were unable to take the lead. 
 
MSU-Denver closed the third quarter and opened the fourth on another scoring run, outscoring CSC 14-1 before the nine-minute mark left in the final period.
 
With six minutes left in the game, the Roadrunners led by 15, before the Eagles lowered their deficit to two points after a 14-1 scoring run in four minutes. 
 
In the final two minutes of the game, the Roadrunners made two more free throws than the Eagles to seal the victory. CSC never led in the loss.
 
"We showed a lot of fight tonight and continue to improve," Raymer said. "We are very excited for the off-season and the opportunity to grow."
 
Chadron State shot 49.1 percent (27-55) in the loss. The Eagles were six of 18 from three and 19 of 24 from the charity stripe.
 
MSU-Denver finished 30 of 61 (49.2 percent) from the field. They only converted two of their 13 attempts from behind the arc, but were 21 of 23 from the free throw line. 
 
Chadron State had 17 turnovers, which resulted in 16 points for the Roadrunners.  The Eagles scored 19 points off their opponents 11 turnovers. 
 
MSU-Denver outrebounded CSC 32 to 29. 
 
Taryn Foxen scored a career high 35 points in the loss. Jori Peters and Jordan Morris joined her in double-figures. Peters finished with 16 points, while Morris had 11 points to go along with 11 rebounds. 
 
Bree Wellington led the Roadrunners in scoring with 22. Jaela Richardson added 20, followed by Morgan Lewis and Maggie Justinak, with 14 and 12, respectively. 
 
The loss ends CSC's season at 7-24 overall and 5-17 in the RMAC. MSU-Denver clinched a post in the RMAC Women's Basketball Tournament with the victory and improves to 13-15 overall and 12-10 in the conference.