SAN ANTONIO — Tesha Smith grabbed a career best 14 rebounds while Mannasha Bell cracked the UTSA all-time record books to propel the Roadrunners past the UTEP Miners, 72-59, Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
Smith set a new career high Saturday of 14 rebounds as she notched her seventh career double-double adding 17 points. The San Antonio native also matched a career high of eight field goals made.
Bell netted 15 points in the Roadrunners win and grabbed 11 boards to crack the UTSA all-time record books with 513 rebounds.
UTSA (13-13, 8-6 C-USA) sweeps the home-and-home series against the Miners as UTEP drops its second straight road decision.
Unlike the last meeting in El Paso earlier in the season, UTSA led after the first 20 minutes of play. The Roadrunners held a 32-25 advantage heading into the locker room after a back-and-forth battle with the in-state foe.
The visiting Miners were hot out of the gates as they led through the first 5:28 of play before UTSA took its first lead at the 13:57 mark on a triple from Ashley Spaletta. The senior concluded the day with 11 points, six rebounds and two helpers.
The Roadrunners scored one more basket before UTEP went on a 9-3 run to lead the home team 20-17 halfway through the stanza. The score tied once more and the Roadrunners regained its lead.
Momentum continued in the second half as the Roadrunners averaged a 10-point lead through much of the stanza.
Kamra King started her 113th career game in a UTSA uniform to tie Monica Gibbs in career games started. King put up eight points with one rebound and one assist.
Cameasha Turner paced the Miner with 19 points, seven rebounds, a career best five steals and three assists.
The Roadrunners will play its final home games of the 2014-15 season when it welcomes Southern Miss on Feb. 26 and Louisiana Tech on Feb. 28.