? Box score
? Arkansas State/Charleston Southern box score
| Senior Monica Gibbs posted the 25th double-double of her career on Friday night. |
SAN ANTONIO ? The UTSA women’s basketball team had four players score in double figures, but it wasn’t enough, as North Texas held on for a 65-61 victory in the first night of the Star Shuttle Thanksgiving Classic on Friday night at the Convocation Center.
Senior guard Monica Gibbs posted the 25th double-double of her career with team highs of 15 points and 15 rebounds. Senior forward Ryba Pawlaczyk hauled in a dozen boards, while sophomore forward Jordan Stark and senior forward Onika Anderson added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Roadrunners (1-4).
The Mean Green (3-1) were led by Jo Hall’s game-high 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the floor and she was good on her first seven shots. Amber Jackson recorded a team-best 13 rebounds to along with 15 points.
UNT got things started in the second half when it scored six consecutive points to grab a three-point lead with 15:55 left. The Mean Green then pushed their edge to five when Hall connected on a layup, but a pair of Gibbs’ free throws cut North Texas’ lead to one midway through the frame. However, the Mean Green pulled away with a 10-2 run to make the score 54-45 with seven minutes left. Hall gave UNT its largest lead of the night at 58-47 with 5:31 remaining.
The Roadrunners rallied late with a 12-3 stretch to get within two with less than a minute to play. UTSA had an opportunity to tie the game after a missed shot by UNT, but Jackson stuffed Anderson’s attempt with 18 ticks on the clock and the Mean Green held on for the four-point triumph by making 4-of-4 from the charity stripe in the closing seconds.
North Texas grabbed the early 10-9 lead on Jackson’s jumper with 14:12 to go in the first half, but UTSA responded with a 14-4 run over the next five minutes to grab a 23-14 lead. The Mean Green chipped away with a 16-5 spurt to retake the lead at 30-28. A Gibbs 3-pointer from the top of the key tied the game at 32 with under two minutes to remaining and a free throw by Stark sent UTSA into the locker room with a 33-32 advantage.
UTSA returns to action on Saturday afternoon against Arkansas State (3-3) in the final game of the holiday tournament.