BOCA RATON, Fla. — UTSA held a two-point advantage at the half but was outscored in the third quarter and Florida Atlantic pulled away for a 64-51 victory on Saturday afternoon at FAU Arena.
The Roadrunners, who saw only five players’ score, was paced by Mathilde Hergott’s season-high 20 points. Hergott went 7-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-11 from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Akunna Elonu had another solid performance, as she set a career high with 19 rebounds and netted 13 points for her first double-double of the season. Crystal Chidomere chipped in with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and added three boards, two assists and a steal.
Both teams played a tight first half as the Roadrunners headed into the locker room leading 24-22. UTSA (6-11, 2-5 C-USA) shot 29 percent (9-of-31) in the first half and used an 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter to propel them past Florida Atlantic.
In the second quarter, UTSA led by as many as seven points but the Owls worked from behind and scored eight straight points to take a 22-21 lead with 14 seconds remaining. On the next possession, Mathilde Hergott returned it for a three to put the Roadrunners back on top, 24-22, at the half.
Florida Atlantic (11-7, 3-4 C-USA) quickly regained the lead to start the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Morgan Robinson. The Owls continued to pull away and never looked back.
Late in the third frame, UTSA made a comeback and made it a one-point game, 33-32, on a pair of free throws from Akunna Elonu but another triple by the Owls led to a 10-2 run to finish the quarter. FAU outscored UTSA 21-10.
FAU held on in the final quarter to snap its four-game losing skid and became the fourth team to register 10-plus 3-pointers against the Roadrunners this season.
UTSA will return to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center next weekend to host Louisiana Tech (Jan. 28) and Southern Miss (Jan. 31).