SAN ANTONIO – Jordyn Jenkins broke the school record for points in a single season as the junior led the UTSA women's basketball team to a crucial 85-79 victory over FIU on Saturday afternoon.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GAME
After a 33-point performance in this game, Jordyn Jenkins officially broke a 32-year-old UTSA single-season scoring record with 587 points so far this season. The previous program record was 583 points by Tammy Rogers in the 1990-91 season.
Two more Roadrunners had double-digit scoring games, including Kyra White with 22 points (also recording a team-high six assists) and Hailey Atwood with a career-high 13 points. Elyssa Coleman led the team with 10 boards and four blocks.
With the win, UTSA improved to a 10-18 overall record (8-11 in C-USA action), jumping up from ninth place to seventh in the conference standings. This marks the Roadrunners most overall wins since the 2016-17 season (14-16). Their winning percentage of .357 is also en route to their highest winning percentage since the 2016-17 season (.556).
The Roadrunners led the way with 39 rebounds to the Panthers' 34 boards. UTSA had a 51.4 percentage from the field, shooting 36 for 70. FIU was 42.4 percent from the court with 28 field goals in 66 attempts. The Roadrunners took advantage of 11 FIU turnovers as they converted that to 18 points, while the Panthers had six points from eight UTSA turnovers. UTSA dominated in the paint with 32 points to FIU's 24 points in the paint.
Prior to the game, the Roadrunners recognized their five graduating seniors – Hailey Atwood, Deborah Nwakamma, Queen Ulabo, student assistant Boo Ciss and student manager Carisa Ramirez – for their dedication and hard work put into the program.
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
The first quarter saw four lead changes and two tie scores, but FIU jumped out to a 23-17 lead by the end of the first 10 minutes of action. The Panthers opened up scoring with a layup a little over 30 seconds into the matchup. A jumper by Hailey Atwood quickly tied things up. The first quarter went similarly as both teams battled back and forth to grab the lead from each other. A turnaround jump shot by White with 4:33 on the clock gave the Roadrunners their first lead (11-10). The Panthers quickly regained with their own jumper, before UTSA once again took the lead with a layup by Jenkins. From here, FIU went on a seven-point scoring run to jump out to a significant lead. Despite some pushback from the Roadrunners, the Panthers held onto a 23-17 lead to end the first period.
The Roadrunners outscored the Panthers by 27 points to 25 points to chop away at FIU's lead in the second quarter. The Panthers jumped out to a nine-point lead but the Roadrunners battled back to tie the score at 33-33 with a made free throw by Jenkins with 5:01 on the clock. FIU did not let UTSA run too far ahead as they regained the lead and bounced between a one-to-six-point lead. The Panthers held onto a 48-44 lead to end the first half.
UTSA came back with some motivation in the third quarter, outscoring the Panthers by 24 points to 13 points. The Roadrunners tied the game at 50-50 with a three-point basket by Atwood with 8:13 on the clock. This started a battle through the next minutes that saw two more tie scores and three lead changes. The Roadrunners won the battle as they took a one-point lead on a turnaround jumper by White with 3:17 on the clock. White went on a run where she scored all five baskets for the Roadrunners during a 10-6 scoring run. A three-point basket by Siena Guttadauro with four seconds left in the third period gave UTSA a 68-61 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Roadrunners held onto its lead despite scoring play bouncing back and forth between the two teams. With fans watching intently to see her tie the school record, Jenkins threw in driving layup at 2:31 to officially tie a 32-year-old program record for points scored in a single season. Just 30 seconds later, she officially broke the record with another layup. A couple made free throws by White with less than a minute left extended UTSA's lead to 10 points. Then a couple free throws by Jenkins extended her record further before the end of the game. Although the Panthers sank a three-point basket with 16 seconds left, it would not be enough as UTSA earned a 85-79 win over FIU on Saturday.
UTSA's record improves to 10-18 overall (8-11 in C-USA action), while FIU falls to a 12-15 record (7-11 in C-USA action)
UP NEXT: The Roadrunners conclude the regular season in Charlotte, N.C., as they play the defending champion Charlotte 49ers on Thursday, March 2. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+ for the regular season finale.
SENIOR RECOGNITION
Boo Ciss
Boo Ciss joined the Roadrunners as a junior last season but medically retired shortly after. She stayed on as a student assistant for the team and has stayed a part of the program through the past two seasons. Boo is graduating with her bachelor's degree in sociology.
Carisa Ramirez
Carisa Ramirez has been a student manager for the women's basketball team for the past two seasons. She has helped keep things rolling smoothly behind the scenes with daily operations and travel tasks. Carissa is graduating with her bachelor's degree in medical humanities with a minor in sociology.
Hailey Atwood
Hailey Atwood has made a significant difference on and off the court since joining the Roadrunners last season from Blinn College. The Austin, Texas, native has played in 53 games with 27 starts. In conference play this season, Hailey has played in every game and averaged 24.5 minutes per game – a consistent leader for UTSA. In her two-year career as a Roadrunner, she has 197 rebounds, 190 points and 25 steals. Hailey is graduating with her bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
Deborah Nwakamma
Deborah Nwakamma came to UTSA in 2021 after beginning her collegiate career at Grayson College. The Lagos, Nigeria, native has played in 31 games and started in four. Averaging 15.4 minutes per game, she has been a sneaky shooter for the Roadrunners. She has notched 142 points, 25 assists and 70 rebounds in her career at UTSA. Deb is graduating with her bachelor's degree in kinesiology.
Queen Ulabo
Queen Ulabo joined UTSA in 2021 after playing at Barton Community College. A native of Yenagao, Nigeria, Queen has averaged 18.9 minutes per game in 52 games played and 34 starts through the past two seasons. She has recorded 267 points, 214 rebounds and 52 steals in her career as a Roadrunner. Queen is graduating with her bachelor's degree in multidisciplinary studies.
-UTSA-
