SAN ANTONIO – In its only game this week the UTSA women's basketball team welcomes the FIU Panthers (6-18, 3-8 C-USA) to the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 14, for its annual 'Pink Out' game.
FIU game overview
UTSA (5-19, 3-9 C-USA) will continue Conference USA paly Wednesday evening against FIU. The game is set to tip at 7 p.m. CT from the Convocation Center in San Antonio and will be streamed on CUSA.tv with Stu Paul providing play-by-play.
Pink Out
Wednesday's game against FIU is UTSA's annual 'Pink Out' game. All fans are encouraged to wear pink and the first 300 fans will receive a pink support t-shirt. All tickets are buy-one-get-one free while members of the Susan G. Komen foundation will be tabling at the entrance of the Convo. The Roadrunners are also holding a silent auction of gift baskets. All proceeds will be donated to Susan G. Komen. The gift baskets are listed below.
- Family Entertainment
- Couples Romantic Basket
- Pamper Yourself Basket
- Love Your Pet
- Treat Your Pet
- UTSA Fan Basket
Inside the series: UTSA leads 5-4
UTSA and FIU have met nine times on the basketball court with the teams first meeting on Dec. 14, 2007. The Roadrunners own a 5-4 advantage over the Panthers, including back-to-back wins over the past two seasons. Last year, UTSA posted a strong 69-55 home victory behind five triples from Carlie Heineman.
Getting to know FIU
FIU is looking for its fourth conference win of the season, after dropping six conference games in a row. Most recently, FIU fell to Middle Tennessee, 63-59, on the road. Kristian Hudson leads the Panther offense, scoring 324 points this season to average 13.5 points per season. Likewise, Kiandre'a Pound has recorded 302 points in FIU's 24 outings this season. The junior forward inks the teams' best field goal percentage (.446), hitting 112-of-154 from the field. Pound also paces FIU with a team-high 208 rebounds to average 9.0 per game.
Roadrunner Numbers
UTSA is led by Crystal Chidomere's 14.0 points and Marie Benson's 9.1 rebounds per game. Chidomere also leads the team in assists (55) and blocks (25), while Benson is tops in steals (33). Carlie Heineman is the team's top 3-point threat (58 makes). The Roadrunners are also tied for second in Conference USA in blocked shots (3.8).
20+
Crystal Chidomere has led the Roadrunners with 26 points in UTSA's win over Marshall on Thursday, Feb. 8. The senior has recorded six 20+ points games this season: UT-Arlington -26 points, UTRGV -24 points, San Diego – 23 points, ODU -29 points, Florida Atlantic – 20 points, Marshall – 26 points.
21 Turnovers
UTSA has forced three teams to 21 turnovers this season. The Roadrunners pushed Sul Ross State, North Dakota and UTEP to 21 turnovers, the most this season. Overall, UTSA has forced ten teams to 15 or more turnovers this
season.
Benson on the boards
• Sophomore forward Marie Benson leads UTSA and ranks third among league opponents with an average of 9.1 rebounds per game.
• Benson has totaled 334 career rebounds with 226 coming on the defensive end.
• The Texas native has led the Roadrunners on the glass in 13 games, including a season-high 16 rebounds against Texas A&M Commerce (12/29/17).
• Benson's 334 rebounds in 44 career games ties 32nd on the UTSA career list alongside former Roadrunner Mantha Emory (1993-95).
Top-16 scorer
• UTSA's Crystal Chidomere paces the Roadrunners with 14.0 points per game and has totaled 308 points this season.
• With 930 career points the senior ranks 16th on the UTSA career list. She needs one more point to tie former Roadrunner Whitney York (2007-13) with 931 while only needed 70 points to become the 15th Roadrunner in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
Connect on social media
Fans are encouraged to connect with the Roadrunners on Facebook (UTSA Women's Basketball), Instagram (@UTSAWBBALL) and Twitter (@UTSAWBB). They are also encouraged to use RunningWithExcellence and BirdsUp in posts.