CHARLOTTE, N. C.––On Sunday, the UTSA women's basketball team officially opened American Athletic Conference play with a 64-50 victory over Charlotte inside Halton Arena, with a quartet of 'Runners all logging double-digit scoring figures.
The Roadrunners (10-2, 1-0 The American) bested the 49ers (5-7, 0-1 The American), shooting 43% from the field to Charlotte's 29%, with redshirt senior Jordyn Jenkins charting a team-high 18 points with five rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Juniors Sidney Love and Maya Linton each scored 11, with Linton swiping three steals and finishing one board shy of a double-double. Graduate student Nina De Leon Negron provided 10 points, dished out seven assists and tallied five rebounds. Also putting in a solid shift, sophomore Idara Udo recorded nine points and eight rebounds with a block and a steal.
The 'Runners started hot, with an Udo pullup jumper kick-starting a 9-2 run that featured seven points by Jenkins. A 49er freebie halted the run, but UTSA picked up right where they left off, scoring the next eight in a stretch that saw multiple De Leon Negron makes. Now trailing 17-3, CLT converted from distance, sparking an 8-2 surge that saw a 19-11 score line at the conclusion of the first.
After exchanging blows to open the second, De Leon Negron and freshman Damara Allen hit back-to-back threes. Charlotte responded with a trey and a bucket for a 27-18 score. De Leon Negron found Jenkins in transition, and Love logged a layup to put UTSA up 13. Shortly after, Love buried a triple, building a 34-21 halftime lead.
The 'Runners began the third on a 6-0 surge, but the 49ers answered with nine straight of their own to pull within 10. Linton halted the run with a three-pointer, but CLT connected twice more from beyond the arc, working a 43-36 score line. Looking to stop the bleeding, Jenkins converted an and-one, and Allen finished a floater down the stretch to issue a 48-37 edge entering the fourth.
Udo and De Leon Negron hit shots to provide some breathing room in the final frame, but a later 49er three brought them back within 11. Linton knocked down a shot, and CLT went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line for a 57-45 score midway through the quarter. The UTSA defense then clamped down, allowing just one more make from the field en route to the 64-50 win.
UTSA now focuses on a New Year's Day clash with UAB on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
Keep up with UTSA Women's Basketball on goutsa.com and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB.
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