SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA women’s basketball team forced 24 turnovers and used a 19-3 first-half run to defeat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 69-44, for its first Southland Conference victory of the year on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
Senior Amber Gregg led three players in double figures with a game-high 18 points for the Roadrunners (5-10, 1-1 SLC), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Fellow senior Ashleigh Franklin finished with a dozen, while junior Ashley Gardner scored 11.
The Islanders (2-13, 0-2 SLC) were paced by Ashley Darley’s 13 points.
Adrienne Scott led Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to an early advantage by making three of her first four shots for a 10-7 lead.
However, UTSA battled back and rattled off the 19-3 run to take control of the contest.
After a free throw by Gardner, sophomore Lyndi Thorman converted an old-fashioned three-point play. Gardner’s 15-foot jumper and back-to-back 3-pointers from Gregg and Franklin forced the Islanders to call a timeout.
Senior Alysse Davis capped the run with a pump fake, drive and pull-up jumper, as the Roadrunners doubled-up the Islanders, 26-13, with five minutes to play in the half.
The teams split the final 12 points of the stanza and UTSA took a 32-19 lead into halftime.
The Roadrunners defense held A&M-Corpus Christi to just 26 percent shooting and forced 16 turnovers in the frame, which converted to 15 UTSA points.
The second half started much like the first and saw the Islanders cut the lead to 10 (37-27) on a basket by Jessica Jammer. The Roadrunners responded with a decisive 18-3 run to put the game away.
Once again it was Gardner who started the scoring, this time with a three-point play. Gregg connected from long-range while getting fouled and converted at the charity-stripe for a rare four-point play, a feat she would repeat minutes later.
An inside basket by Thorman and a 3-pointer by Alysse Davis capped the run and gave UTSA a 55-30 lead, its largest of the night.
A&M-Corpus Christi didn’t get within 21 the rest of the way.
The Birds totaled 25 points off 24 turnovers, while committing just 12 giveaways of their own. Six players hit a 3-pointer, led by four from Gregg, and the team’s nine 3-pointers tied a season high.
UTSA will look for its first win away from the Convocation Center in a 6 p.m. contest on Saturday at Stephen F. Austin (4-11, 1-1 SLC).
