| Senior Onika Anderson snagged 23 rebounds in addition to scoring 19 points on Saturday. |
SAN ANTONIO ? Senior forward Onika Anderson grabbed 23 rebounds, the second-most in school history, and added a game-high 19 points for her league-leading 11th double-double of the season and UTSA blew past Sam Houston State, 85-54, on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
Anderson's rebounding performance was one shy of tying Margaret Martinovich's single-game record of 24 set against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Nov. 27, 1981.
The Roadrunners (17-8, 10-2 SLC) finished the contest with 60 boards, their most ever in a Southland Conference tilt, and it led to 44 points in the paint. The victory also was UTSA's 16th in a row against the Bearkats (7-18, 4-8 SLC).
Senior forward Ryba Pawlaczyk reached double-digits for the second game in a row with 18 points, while senior guard Monica Gibbs chipped in with 17 and she also handed out a game-best eight assists to go along with seven rebounds.
UTSA opened the second half with a 10-7 spurt for the 59-27 advantage with 12:13 to go. Britni Martin’s basket cut Sam Houston's deficit to 22 (57-34) a minute later, but that would be the closest it would get the rest of the way. The Roadrunners went on to push their lead to 35 when senior guard Andrea Garcia connected on a jumper from the free throw line.
UTSA built a 14-4 lead within the first four minutes of the game, as Anderson led the charge with six points. The Roadrunners then put together a 10-3 run to increase their lead 24-7 over the next three minutes and capped off the hot start with a 13-8 stretch for a 47-20 halftime lead.
Martin paced Sam Houston State with a team-high 16 points.
UTSA closes out its two-game home stand against Northwestern State in a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday night. The game will be televised on the Southland Television Network and can be seen live on ESPN360.com.