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Roadrunners' season ends in D-II tournament
By Eric Lansing
lansing@mscd.edu

The Metro men’s basketball team’s spectacular season came to an abrupt end in the second round of the Division II tournament, as the Roadrunners fell in a 70-68 heartbreaker to Minnesota State Mankato on March 11 in Winona, Minn.

“We got down early, but it was the ability of the team to bounce back and get us back in the game,” Metro head coach Brannon Hays said. “I thought Mankato was an excellent opponent. They stuck some big shots in key moments of the game. As far as our group playing as a group, and really giving it everything they had, they did a great job.”

After defeating Adams State in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference finals March 4 in Pueblo, the third-seeded ’Runners faced sixth-seeded Adam State in the first round of the NCAA D-II tourney. Metro forced 25 turnovers in first-round action March 10, dismantling the Grizzlies 71-48. Metro’s defense also held Adams to 40.5 percent shooting from the field, including an abysmal 20 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

The Roadrunners had four players score in double figures, led by forward Michael Bahl’s 16 points. Metro forward Jesse Wagstaff, the RMAC tournament’s most valuable player, added 14 points and six rebounds, while guard Marquise Carrington scored 10 points and dished out five assists. Metro shot 46.3 percent from the floor, while going 9-of-22 from downtown.

The next night, the Roadrunners had to take on the second-seeded Mavericks of MSU-Mankato, who finished the regular season with a 24-3 record. The Mavericks defeated seventh-seeded Fort Lewis 85-71 in the first round of the tournament, led by forward Luke Anderson’s 28 points.

Metro began the game shooting a horrendous 20 percent from the field as Mankato pushed their lead to seven points with about eight minutes remaining in the first half. The Roadrunners fought back by scoring nine of the next 11 points to end the first half tied at 35.

Wagstaff committed three fouls in the first eight minutes of the game, forcing him to sit for the rest of the first half. He never found his offensive rhythm, scoring only four points and grabbing one rebound.

“He had a hard time getting going, but it seems like someone is always stepping up,” Hays said. “Marquise stepped up and others stepped up. Foul trouble happens every now and again, but our guys kept plugging away.”

Carrington helped the ’Runners keep pace with the Mavericks, scoring 17 of his game-high 26 points in the first half. The sophomore guard shot 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line in the opening stanza.

The ’Runners took their first and only lead at the 16:41 mark after Carrington drained a 3-pointer to put the score at 40-39. The lead was short-lived as Mavericks center Atila Santos put in two points off an offensive rebound 16 seconds later to regain the lead. Metro came back and tied the game at 55 after forward Moussa Coulibaly came through with a layup. But a 3-pointer by guard Tony Thomason gave the Mavs a seven-point lead with 3:46 left on the clock.

The Roadrunners then cut the lead to one when guard Terrell Burgess nailed a 3-pointer off an assist from Carrington. With the score at 63-62, the Mavericks got a layup from Anderson and two free throws from guard Paris Kyles to give them a five-point cushion with 47 seconds left in the game.

Metro again cut the lead to one with just three seconds left. Burgess hit a shot from the perimeter, but it was too late as time ran out in the game and in the season for the Roadrunners. Mankato headed on to the third round of the tournament while Metro headed home.

Bahl played in his last game as a Roadrunner and although he was distraught over the loss, he cherished his time as a Metro basketball player.

“I could have gone to many different schools and I’m just thankful I choose Metro,” Bahl said. “Yeah we lost, and yeah we want to win a national title every year and yeah it’s a disappointment. But the road I’ve had as a man and how much I’ve grown up over the years, that’s what Metro State is all about.”

Hays said he couldn’t be more proud of his team and that he thinks he “did all right” in his first year as head coach for the men’s basketball team. He added that it isn’t easy to win an RMAC championship and that the team should be proud of their season.

Metro finished the season with an impressive 28-4 record and now looks to the 2007-2008 season, when they will have three returning starters that include Wagstaff, Carrington and Burgess.