SAN ANTONIO — Led by Tesha Smith's school-record 41 points, UTSA captured a 97-66 Senior Day victory against Florida Atlantic on Saturday.
Smith, who broke the program's 30-year-old single-game mark, netted her second 30-plus scoring game of the season. Just over a month ago, the San Antonio product netted 38 points against UTEP. She also grabbed eight boards and added a pair of blocks and steals against the Owls.
The senior's hot start began early Saturday afternoon as the Roadrunners opened the first frame with a quick 5-0 lead off a Carlie Heineman three ball and a jumper from Smith.
The 6-foot-1 center would kick off an 11-0 run for UTSA (13-14, 9-7 C-USA), scoring the next five buckets to open the lead to 21-8. Florida Atlantic's Alexis Shannon broke the run with a layup, but Smith promptly responded with a jumper followed by a traditional and-one play to take a 26-10 edge over Florida Atlantic.
Loryn Goodwin, who scored 22 points, closed the quarter with a trey to put the Roadrunners up 31-13. UTSA's 31-point quarter, 19 of which came from Smith, marks the highest scoring frame this season.
Smith's hot shooting continued in the second quarter as she scored six quick points in the opening minutes. The Owls Raven Doyle battled to keep FAU within reach after her second triple of the quarter brought Florida Atlantic (4-23, 0-16) within 10, 37-27.
After a UTSA timeout at the 5:57 mark, Goodwin sparked a 6-0 run with a three-point play. The Roadrunners would close the half only giving up five more points and registering a season-high for points in a half as they entered the locker room with a 53-32 advantage.
The Roadrunners and the Owls traded points, opening second half play on 8-of-8 scoring. Despite Florida Atlantic's efforts, the home team still had a sizable lead of 20 points, 60-40. UTSA put up 27 points in the third quarter, shooting 63.2 percent from the floor, and closing 30 minutes of play ahead 80-55.
Both teams slowed down the pace in the fourth quarter as the two teams combined for 28 points. Smith pushed UTSA to 90 points on a fast break lay-up for her single-game scoring record, and is the 23rd time the Roadrunners score 90-plus points.
Katelyn O'Reilly led Florida Atlantic with 19 points.
UTSA will close out the regular season next weekend on the road at Charlotte (March 2) and Old Dominion (March 4).
