SAN MARCOS — UTSA was outscored in the final minutes of Thursday night’s I-35 rivalry game and Texas State walked away with a 72-64 victory at Strahan Coliseum.
UTSA saw itself down by nine points at the half, 38-29, after shooting only 38.7 percent (12-of-31) from the field and Texas State ending the second quarter on a 7-0 run.
The start of the game saw both teams trading 3-pointers, combining for six by the 4:22 mark, and the Bobcats leading, 11-9.
In the second quarter, Texas State (3-4) reached a double-digit lead, but the Roadrunners cut the deficit to five, 28-23, with 4:53 remaining. A pair of Texas State turnovers and a missed shot led to a UTSA 6-0 run during that stretch.
UTSA (2-3) faced its largest deficit in the third quarter with 1:38 on the clock after Texas State sank its 11th 3-pointer of the game along with a pair of free throws to lead by 13, 54-41. The Bobcats 12 3-pointers was the most allowed by UTSA this season.
With less than a second remaining in the third quarter, Niaga Mitchell-Cole sank a three that sparked a 10-0 run for the Roadrunners, which made it a two-point game in the fourth quarter, 56-54. Mitchell-Cole ended the night scoring in double figures for the third time this season with 16 points and added four rebounds and a career-high six steals.
The Roadrunners eventually tied the score at 56 in the fourth quarter at the 7:37 mark when Carlie Heineman completed her second free throw. Texas State eventually pulled away in the final minutes scoring 16 points to lead the all-time series 32-31. Heineman was the only other Runner to score in double digits with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range.
Taeler Deer led three Bobcats in double digits with 27 points. Deer had 11 of the team’s 19 points at the end of the first. Kaitlin Walla and Toshua Leavitt added 11 points apiece.
UTSA will take a 10-day before hitting the road for its final road game of the month on Dec. 13 at No. 21 Oklahoma.