HUNTSVILLE — UTSA erased a seven-point halftime deficit with an 11-0 run early in the second half, but a late 17-4 stretch gave Sam Houston State a 62-53 win in the Southland Conference opener for both schools on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Ashleigh Franklin recorded her second double-double of the season with 16 points and a game-high 19 rebounds to lead the Roadrunners (4-10, 0-1 SLC), who dropped their fourth consecutive contest. Meanwhile. fellow senior Kameisha Johnson finished with 10 points in her season debut.
The Bearkats (7-8, 1-0 SLC) were led by Chanice Smith’s 18 points and a double-double of 17 points and 18 boards from Sequeena Thomas.
After trading baskets to start the game, Sam Houston State rattled off the next dozen points to grab a 16-4 advantage. Junior Ashley Gardner put an end to the run with a 3-pointer and free throws from senior Amber Gregg and sophomore Whitney Wright cut the margin to six.
Minutes later, the Roadrunners went on a 15-4 run to take their first lead of the game.
Franklin sparked the stretch with back-to-back layups, while Gardner and senior Kameisha Johnson contributed with baskets in the paint. A fast-break layup by Gregg gave UTSA a 26-25 lead.
The Bearkats netted the last seven points of the half and took a 34-27 lead into the locker room. Sam Houston built the edge thanks to 18 second-chance points.
Franklin opened the second half on fire, as she scored UTSA’s first seven points. Her layup started an 11-0 run for the squad’s largest lead of the game, 43-38, with 11 minutes to play. Senior Alysse Davis connected from downtown and from 17-feet out during the run, which lasted five minutes.
However, Sam Houston State retook the lead on a Britni Martin layup with eight minutes to play, which was part of the deciding 17-4 run, and the Bearkats didn’t trail the rest of the way.
The Birds played some of their most efficient basketball of the season, hitting 18 shots on 14 assists, led by Gregg’s eight helpers. UTSA also held a 26-24 edge in the paint and was just the second win for Sam Houston this season when being outscored in the lane.
UTSA returns home on Wednesday, Jan. 12, when they host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2-12, 0-1 SLC) at 7 p.m.
