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SAN ANTONIO — UTSA closed the game on an 11-2 run, but it was not enough, as the Roadrunners fell just short in 54-53 setback against Creighton on Tuesday night in the second game of the UTSA Holiday Classic.
Freshman Kamra King poured in a season-high 17 points after shooting 7-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from behind the 3-point line, to pace UTSA, which fell to 3-7 on the season.
Meanwhile, Ally Jensen matched that effort with 17 of her own and added seven rebounds to lead the Bluejays (6-4).
Jensen’s steal and layup with 1:22 remaining made it 52-42 and matched Creighton’s largest lead of the game.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by senior Ashley Gardner and King quickly cut the deficit to four with 38 ticks left on the clock.
UTSA got what it needed when Carli Tritz missed the front end of a one-and-one, but the Roadrunners were unable to convert on their next trip down the floor. UTSA was forced to foul again, but this time Sarah Nelson sunk what proved to be a critical pair of free throws.
With just four seconds left, Gardner’s layup made it 54-50. Junior Simone Young quickly tied up Jensen to give the Roadrunners the ball back with one tick left and King’s 3-pointer at the buzzer provided the final one-point margin.
UTSA grabbed the lead early, scoring eight of the game’s first 10 points on pair of baskets each by Young and King. The Roadrunners scored their first 12 points off Creighton turnovers and held a 12-9 lead with nine minutes to play in the half.
Jensen tied the score two minutes later with the first of her three 3-pointers to ignite a 14-5 run that gave the Bluejays a 23-17 lead. It would be the largest advantage for Creighton in the frame and it took a 23-18 lead into halftime.
Both teams hovered around 30 percent shooting in the half with the Bluejays holding a slight edge at 32 percent. Likewise, the teams combined for 24 turnovers, notching 12 apiece.
After Creighton extended its advantage to seven early in the second half, UTSA slowly cut into the lead before a 6-2 spurt made it 34-33 with nine minutes remaining.
However, Tritz scored six points during an 11-2 run that lasted 3:23 for a 10-point lead. The stretch was capped by a Jordan Garrison's second 3-pointer of the contest.
UTSA put together its best shooting effort of the season, hitting at a 40.8-percent clip thanks to a hot second half where it shot 50 percent (13-of-26). The defense held Creighton to 34.5 percent, but the Bluejays connected six times from behind the arc and forced 21 turnovers.
The Roadrunners conclude play on Wednesday night when they face Texas-Pan American (4-10) at 7 p.m. The Broncs fell to Colorado, 67-49, in the event’s opener.