DENVER – The Westminster men's basketball team surrendered a 15-point first half lead and lost 68-61 at MSU Denver in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action on Saturday night.
 
Westminster (8-5, 4-5 RMAC) comes up short in its effort to sweep the preseason favorite in the conference. One night after shooting a season high, the Griffins only made 41.0 percent against MSU Denver (8-7, 6-2) with just 16 made baskets.
 
It was all Westminster early as they raced out to a 23-8 lead with 8:47 to play in the first half. They opened with 16 of the game's first 20 points and capped a 7-0 run with a layup from Casey Evans. The final 8-plus minutes of the period belonged to MSU Denver as the home squad closed with a 22-6 run to lead 30-28 at halftime. The Griffins had just two baskets during the run and committed five turnovers.
 
The teams were matching baskets with neither team leading by more than three for the first 12:29 of the half. With the Griffins leading 54-52 with 7:31 to play, MSU Denver scored seven straight points to start 16-7 run to close the game. The Roadrunners held the visiting Griffins to only one basket on four attempts in the final 3:08 after Zerrion Payton cut the deficit to 61-59 with a layup.
 
Payton finished the night with a team high 12 points by making 7 of 8 at the foul line. The junior added three rebounds, two assists, and two steals in defeat. Evans scored 11 points and led the team with four rebounds.
 
The Griffins finished the game 5 of 14 from beyond the arc and they had 17 turnovers which resulted in 21 points for MSU Denver. The Roadrunners shot 50 percent from the floor and outscored the Griffins 32-18 in the paint.
 
Peter Moller led MSU Denver with 22 points while Andre Harris and Enrique Cortes Zotes scored 15 and 10 respectively.
 
Westminster will now play four of its next six games at home; beginning when they host Adams State on Friday at 7:30 p.m. MT. Tickets for all home games are available by visiting WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.