SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA women's basketball team will travel up IH-35 on Friday to take on No. 2/6Texas for a fifth consecutive year. Tip-off in the Frank Erwin Center is slated for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally by Longhorn Network.
The Roadrunners head into the weekend after competing in three games over six days. UTSA is 1-2 on the season and is coming off a 69-68 overtime loss to UT-Arlington on Wednesday night in the Convocation Center. Senior guard Crystal Chidomere, who played for the first time this season, had a game-high 26 points in Wednesday's game. The Roadrunners opened the season with a 97-47 win against Sul Ross State before dropping a 74-42 game at Arizona State this past Sunday.
Leading UTSA is sophomore forward Marie Benson, who is pouring in 16.0 points per game and a squad-best 11.0 rebounds per game. Benson is followed by senior guard Carlie Heineman, who is averaging 12.5 points per game and a team-best 1.000 free-throw percentage having gone 6-for-6 from the line. The San Antonio native has also chipped in four steals, three rebounds and three assists.
Pacing the Roadrunner newcomers is freshman Karrington Donald. The guard is averaging 8.7 points per game and leads the team with five three-pointers. She is also second on the squad with 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Longhorns are 2-0 on the season after defeating Stetson 95-59 on Sunday and beating McNeese State 100-34 on Wednesday. Texas is averaging 97.5 points per game through two games and ranks third in the nation in scoring margin at +51.0 points per game. The Longhorns also are sixth nationally in rebound margin at +23.0.
Senior guard Ariel Atkins leads the way for the Longhorns, averaging 16.0 points per game and 4.0 steals per game. She is shooting 75 percent from the floor this season, including a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Atkins also leads the Big 12 Conference with an 8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Against McNeese State on Wednesday, Atkins became the 43rd member of UT's 1,000-point club. .
Saturday will mark the eighth all-time meeting in school history with Texas winning all seven previous meetings.
