SAN ANTONIO — UTSA tied the game with 1:13 on the clock and held off WKU, one of the top teams in Conference USA, for a thrilling 80-77 victory on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
Loryn Goodwin connected with Crystal Chidomere at the 1:13 mark for a layup to tie the game at 76, the sixth tie of the game. WKU missed on the following possession and Goodwin had the go-ahead jumper with 35 seconds remaining.
The Lady Toppers had an opportunity to tie the game with 32 seconds but Kyvin Goodin-Rogers hit only one of her two free throws to make it 78-77.
UTSA (10-9, 6-2 C-USA) ran the clock down to 21 seconds as Chidomere drew the foul to head to the line for a pair. The junior sank both free throws for the 3-point cushion and held off WKU in the final seconds to knock off the Lady Toppers and place them in second place.
WKU (15-6, 7-2 C-USA), who was outscoring opponents by a +14.8 margin, lost its first game since dropping an 89-85 decision to Charlotte in overtime back on Jan. 5.
The Roadrunners shot a season-best 55.1 percent from the field and were 21-of-26 from the charity stripe.
Three players reached double figures with Tesha Smith's team-high 21 points. The senior center was two boards shy of a double-double and added a pair of blocks.
Meanwhile, Kasia Kiejdrowska went for a season-best 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Goodwin also reached double digits with 17 points and went for her third double-double of the season with 10 assists.
C-USA Preseason Player of the Player Kendall Noble netted a game-high 25 points and added six rebounds and six assists.
UTSA kick-started its thrilling victory in the second quarter on an 8-0 run that washed away a 12-point deficit. The run featured two of Kiejdrowska's three trey's in the first half and saw the senior score 15 of her 20 points.
At the half, the Roadrunners trailed 38-35 and went on to score 45 points in the second half for it fifth win in the last six outings.
UTSA will open the month of February on the road with four-game swing beginning Thursday, Feb. 2, at Middle Tennessee.
