MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Three Roadrunners scored in double figures, but it wasn't enough, as Middle Tennessee downed UTSA by a score of 77-63 on Thursday night at the Murphy Center.
It was an uphill battle for the Roadrunners, as they got back in the game in the third quarter and erased a 13-point deficit. UTSA (10-10, 6-3 C-USA) held the home team scoreless in the last 3:22 and used a 12-0 run to cut Middle Tennessee's lead to 55-54.
The Roadrunners managed to come within one at the 8:25 mark in the fourth but Middle Tennessee (13-8, 8-2 C-USA) exploded for a 13-0 run to lead 73-59. The Roadrunners went a little over six minutes without a score and were back on the board on a pair of free throws from Kasia Kiejdrowska but were unable to make up the deficit.
Loryn Goodwin led all scorers with 21 points and registered her third straight double-double with 12 boards. Meanwhile, Tesha Smith, the newest member of the 1,000-point club, posted 14 points with eight rebounds and three steals. Kiejdrowska chipped in with 11 points and added a rebound and assist.
Alex Johnson paced Middle Tennessee with 24 points and six rebounds.
The Lady Raiders outshot UTSA 47 percent to 36 percent and set the new record for treys against the Roadrunners with 14.
UTSA was dominant early in the game as the Roadrunners led 18-13 after the first 10 minutes of play. The Lady Raiders came back in the second quarter on a 10-0 run that had the home team up 23-18 and eventually leading 30-28 at the half.
UTSA will continue its road swing at 2 p.m. on Saturday at UAB.
