LUBBOCK — UTSA opened this weekend's Athletes in Action Classic with a 56-53 loss to Houston on Friday afternoon at United Supermarkets Arena.
Kamra King netted a season-best 25 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field and an 11-of-15 performance from the charity stripe. The senior guard also registered a pair of steals.
Ashley Spaletta added eight points and matched a career best with five steals. Akunna Elonu also chipped in with eight points to go along with 10 rebounds.
Houston (4-5) snapped a two-game losing streak, while the Roadrunners dropped to 4-4 on the season.
UTSA headed into the locker room trailing 27-23 after an opening 20 minutes that saw it shoot 30 percent (7-of-23) from the field.
Spaletta made the opening shot within 12 seconds of tip-off and King followed with the Birds' next eight points. She completed the first half with a team-high dozen.
It didn’t take long for the Cougars to take control of the game after a 9-3 run gave them an 11-10 lead. Houston held the Roadrunners scoreless for five-and-a-half minutes before a Mannasha Bell layup snapped the scoring drought.
UTSA was able to make it a four-point game heading into halftime, as it went on a 5-0 run and held the Cougars scoreless over the final 3:33.
Houston opened the second half with a 6-0 run to extend its lead to 33-23, but the Roadrunners responded with a 15-5 stretch to tie the game at 38 with 12:23 to play.
The Cougars regained their lead on a free throw by Alecia Smith, who scored a team-high 15 points. UTSA managed to make it a one-point contest on multiple occasions, including 54-53 with eight ticks remaining, but the Birds fell short.
UTSA will continue tournament play against event host Texas Tech at 2 p.m. on Saturday.