SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA women’s basketball team nearly erased a 12-point halftime deficit with a 13-2 run to start the second half, but St. Bonaventure pulled away in the final minutes for a 46-37 victory in the UTSA Holiday Classic finale on Tuesday night.
Jessica Jenkins and Megan Van Tatenhove led the Bonnies (8-4) with 15 and 12 points, respectively, while senior Ashleigh Franklin paced the Roadrunners (4-7) with a dozen.
Despite shooting 66 percent and holding the Bonnies to just 38 percent in the first 12 minutes, UTSA trailed by just one (13-12). St. Bonaventure stayed close thanks to eight Roadrunners turnovers and took the lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Jessica Jenkins and Cece Dixon.
That sparked a 21-4 run to end the first half and the Bonnies took 28-16 lead into the locker room.
UTSA cooled from the field and finished the half shooting 40 percent. In between 3-pointers, St. Bonaventure attacked the basket to earn trips to the free throw line, where it connected on 5-of-10 attempts.
The Roadrunners defense stepped up in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Packing the lane, UTSA allowed just one basket in the stretch to help fuel the big run and pull within one at 30-29.
Inside baskets by sophomore Cori Cooper and senior Amber Gregg sandwiched around three 3-pointers – two by senior Alysse Davis and one from sophomore Jermini Malone – provided the offensive punch.
However, the Bonnies responded with a 6-0 run to take a 38-31 lead with 2:02 to play.
UTSA made one final push, as Gregg hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 1:08, but St. Bonaventure iced the game at the free throw line, where it connected on its final eight attempts. In fact, the Bonnies outscored UTSA 14-0 from the charity stripe, marking the first time in school history that the Roadrunners were shut out at the line.
UTSA will hit the hardwood again at Tuesday, Dec. 28, when it heads to the West Coast for the San Diego Surf ‘N Slam. The Roadrunners will open tournament play at 9 p.m. (CT) against host San Diego State (5-5).
