DENVER – The Regis University women's basketball team scored more points than the Metropolitan State University of Denver in three of the game's four quarters but in the end fell, 78-72, in the 2020-21 season opener at Auraria Event Center on Friday.

"I know there were a lot of nerves going into the first game, especially with so many underclassmen," said head coach Molly Marrin. "I thought we started off attacking well, and it took us some time to adjust to the zone. Overall, it was good experience for us, and we had a strong comeback out of halftime, cutting the 19-point lead to six. We learned a lot and will grow from the game experience."

The Rangers were led by freshman guard Erin Fry, who made an eye-opening debut by pacing all scorers with 27 points and clinching a double-double with 10 rebounds. She also had two assists, a share of the team-high two steals, and a share of the game-high one block.

How It Happened: Down 72-67 after senior forward Whitney Jacob's 3-pointer with 1:55 left in regulation, Regis looked to have some late-game momentum going in its favor.

Unfortunately, a layup from sophomore forward Jaela Richardson increased the Roadrunners' lead to seven, 74-67, and put the game out of reach for RU.

A late trey from senior guard Tashika Burrell closed the deficit to four, 76-72, with 9 seconds left in regulation, but insurance free throws from junior guard Alex Carlton just 1 second later prevented the Rangers from getting any closer and resulted in the contest's final score.

After a 4-0 MSU Denver run to start the game, Burrell ended Regis's scoreless status with a three-point play achieved with a layup at the 8:34 mark of the first quarter to bring RU within a point, 4-3.

The Rangers later put together a 7-0 run that commenced when Fry hit two of three free throws with 5:32 left in the first. The run was capped on Burrell's free throw to tie the game, 13-13, with 4:24 to go in the opening frame.

Regis followed that with a 10-0 run, sparked by Jacob's pair of game-tying free throws and Fry's go-ahead layup with 3:14 and 2:39 remaining in the first, respectively, with the latter points bringing the score to 17-15. The run was capped, 23-15, on sophomore guard Morgan R. Smith's trey with 1:53 left in the opening 10 minutes. This represented RU's largest lead.

The Rangers closed out the first with a narrow 23-22 lead after MSUD accumulated a 7-0 run. That run bridged over to the second quarter, where freshman guard Kendra Parra drained a 3-pointer to give the Roadrunners back the lead, 25-23, with 9:51 left in the second. This eventual 12-0 run finally ceased, 27-23, on Richardson's jumper just 49 seconds into the second. Regis never recovered the lead.

This marked the start of a not-so-kind quarter for RU, which was held to a single-digit point total of eight in that 10-minute span.

MSU Denver would lead by as many as 17, 45-28, in the opening half, when Parra converted a 3-pointer with 1:19 to go before the halftime buzzer.

The Rangers, who ended the first half facing a 47-31 deficit, last added points on Jacob's free throw with 1:16 left.

Down but not out, Regis showed some promise in the third quarter. Fry cut into the 16-point gap 33 seconds into the second half, 47-33, with a pair of free throws. However, a jumper from senior guard Maggie Justinak put MSUD up to an 18-point advantage, 51-33, which would be its highest of the game, at the third quarter's 8:02 mark.

Jacob finally brought RU back to a single-digit deficit when she sank a trey with 4:57 remaining in the third. This bucket made the score, 53-44.

The Rangers ultimately scored more points than the Roadrunners in the third, cutting into MSU Denver's lead one last time on Fry's breakaway layup on a steal to bring the score to 63-50 with 24 seconds remaining in that frame.

Midway through the fourth, Regis assembled a 6-0 run, beginning with sophomore forward Sydney Speights' jumper with 6:23 left in regulation. Speights ended the run with a layup at the 4:06 mark with RU trailing, 68-62.

Game Notes: Jacob finished the first game of her final season with a double-double of 23 points and a game-high 13 rebounds to along with an assist. Burrell came away with seven points, six rebounds, a team-high three assists, and one steal.

Percentage-wise, the Rangers were outmatched in all scoring categories, making 23 of 70 (32.9 percent) from the paint, 11 of 42 (26.2 percent) from the arc, and 15 of 26 (57.7 percent) from the charity stripe. In comparison, MSUD converted 27 of 67 (40.3 percent) in the paint, five of 19 (26.3 percent) from long range, and 19 of 25 (76.0 percent) from the free-throw line.

Up Next for the Rangers: Regis starts the 2020-21 campaign with an 0-1 record overall. RU will host its home opener as well as open Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play against Colorado School of Mines (0-0) at Regis Field House on Friday at 5 p.m.