SAN ANTONIO — Akunna Elonu sank a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining and gave UTSA a 64-63 victory against No. 24 Western Kentucky on Saturday at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners' win was the first-ever win against a ranked opponent and it snapped the Hilltoppers' winning streak at 14 games.
In the final 2:20, three ties occurred before UTSA (9-10, 4-3 C-USA) notched the upset victory. Tesha Smith drew the first tie as she sank both of her free throws to knot the score at 60.
A tip-in from Smith at the 1:36 mark gave UTSA a 62-60 lead but it quickly was taken back with seven seconds remaining when Alexis Govan made both of her free throws to put WKU (17-3, 6-1 C-USA) up, 63-62.
The Roadrunners brought the ball down the court on the next possession and four seconds rolled off the clock before Elonu earned two free shots. She calmly drained both free throws to secure the upset triumph.
All 10 Roadrunners scored in the win. Mannasha Bell posted her second straight double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Ashley Spaletta and Smith also poured in 10 points apiece.
Govan led the Hilltoppers with 22 points.
Heading into Saturday’s game on a hot streak, UTSA trailed No. 24 Western Kentucky by six at the half despite committing 21 turnovers, its most in a half this season.
The Roadrunners led the Hilltoppers for 8:20 in the opening half, surpassing WKU’s previous mark of 7:13 in its last 13 games.
After the visitor’s first basket at 17:46, Alana Heard evened the score on the following possession. The Roadrunners then took a lead on an Elonu layup and would hold until the 8:32 mark when Govan drained a 3-pointer to put the Hilltoppers in front, 13-11.
The score jumped back and forth before Western Kentucky gained control of the game. WKU ended the first half on a 9-4 run and extended its lead to as many as 16 on a 16-4 run in the second half.
UTSA battled until the very end using a 7-0 run halfway through the second that sparked the Roadrunners offense. UTSA shot 33 percent (21-of-63) from the field and 80 percent (20-of-25) from the charity stripe.
The Roadrunners will look to make it four straight when they head to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to take on Middle Tennessee (11-5, 5-1 C-USA) on Thursday, Jan. 29. Tip- off is scheduled for 7 p.m.