SAN ANTONIO — UTSA hustled in the final quarter of play to tie the game and head into overtime but were held scoreless in extras as Louisiana Tech notched an 82-72 victory Thursday at the Convocation Center.
UTSA played in its second overtime game of the season and were held scoreless as Louisiana Tech netted 10 points.
After a slow start that saw the score sit at 4-2 halfway through the opening stanza, it was LA Tech with a 12-9 advantage at the end of the first 10 minutes of action.
UTSA (6-12, 2-6 C-USA) stepped it up in the second quarter connecting on 9-of-16 shooting to lead 29-27 at the half. The Roadrunners held the Lady Techsters to a 35.3 (6-of-17) shooting percentage in the second.
Tesha Smith registered her sixth double-double of the season early in the game as the San Antonio product scored 10 points in the second frame with her already 10 boards. Smith ended the night with 10 points and a career high 17 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Mathilde Hergott and Crystal Chidomere put up a team-high 17 points each, while Alana Heard had 11 and Akunna Elonu 10. Hergott scored in double figures for the second straight time this season and Chidomere matched a career best with four steals.
The third quarter was a fight until the end that saw UTSA hold no more than a seven-point lead at the 5:21 mark, 45-38. The score tied four times in the final 2:04 but the Roadrunners headed into the final quarter tied with the visiting Lady Techsters at 53.
In the fourth quarter, the score bounced back-and-forth with the score tying six times and the lead changing four. UTSA held its final lead at 70-69 with 3:02 on the clock but Louisiana Tech (10-8, 5-2 C-USA) came back to tie the game and take the lead with 1:06 remaining, 72-70. With the seconds ticking away, Hergott drove in for a final layup and tied the game to head into extras.
UTSA will return to the Convocation Center on Saturday when it hosts Southern Miss at 2 p.m.