| Senior Monica Gibbs scored a career-high 29 points on Senior Night on Wednesday. |
SAN ANTONIO ? All-America and Southland Conference Player of the Year candidate senior guard Monica Gibbs scored a career-high 29 points to lead UTSA past I-35 rival Texas State, 80-70, on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners (20-9, 13-2 SLC) registered their second consecutive 20-win season and third overall in school history with the 10-point win and they also kept pace with UT Arlington for first-place tie in the Southland Conference West Division standings.
Gibbs, who was a career-best 17-for-24 from the free throw line, also dished out a game-high nine assists to along with eight rebounds in her final home game. Meanwhile, senior forwards Onika Anderson and Ryba Pawlaczyk added 18 and 13 points, respectively, and Anderson hauled in a team-high nine rebounds on the night.
Sophomore guard Amber Gregg drained her second 3-pointer of the night to give the Roadrunners their biggest lead of the contest at 59-32 with less than 10 minutes to play. However, the Bobcats mounted a mini rally, cutting UTSA’s lead to seven, 73-66, at the two-minute mark. The Roadrunners went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe down the stetch to hold on for the win.
UTSA took an early 12-6 lead on Anderson’s layup with 14:36 to go in the first half, but Texas State scored the next six points to tie it at 12 over the next two minutes. An Anderson bucket and Pawlaczyk three ball gave the Roadrunners a five-point advantage at the 10-minute mark. However, Hilburn cut the deficit to one with her 3-pointer with less than eight minutes showing on the clock. The Roadrunners pulled away on the strength of a 15-6 spurt to take a 35-25 halftime lead.
UTSA closes out its regular season on Saturday at Stephen F. Austin. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.