SAN ANTONIO – UTSA battled to a 35-33-halftime lead, but Conference USA Regular Season Champion UAB, rode the hot hands of Deanna Kuzmanic and Rachel Childress to rally past the Roadrunners, 74-66, at the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon.
Kuzmanic tallied eight of her game-high 20 points in the third quarter to help the Blazers (24-5, 13-3 C-USA) take their first lead of the game. The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for UTSA (8-20, 6-10 C-USA).
Sophomore Marie Benson registered 19 points to pace the Roadrunners while senior Crystal Chidomere scored 18 points and Alexus Dukes added 10.
UTSA shot 47.3 percent (26-55) but made 15 turnovers while also being outrebounded, 39-34. UAB's Kara Rawls recorded a game-high 12 rebounds while Benson led the Roadrunners with 10 boards.
UTSA controlled the temp early as the Roadrunners opened with a 6-2 advantage. Back-to-back layups from Chidomere kept UTSA ahead, 12-7, but UAB halted the Roadrunner run with a pair of Childress' free throws. Chidomere put up three more points to give UTSA a one point-lead (17-16) through 10 minutes of action.
The Roadrunners stretched their lead to as many as eight during a back-and-forth second quarter. Behind eight points from Dukes, UTSA was able to carry a 35-33 lead into halftime.
UAB went to work in the third quarter, unleashing a 6-1 run over the first four minutes to take the lead, 39-36. The Roadrunners put a stop with a layup from senior Carlie Heineman to reclaim the lead, 40-39. However, UAB's momentum continued with the Blazers pushing to a six-point lead. UAB closed the quarter with a layup from Miyah Barnes and a 53-46 lead.
A Kuzmanic jumper saw the Blazers take a 60-50 lead in the game before five quick points from the Roadrunners cut that lead in half, forcing a UAB timeout. The lead sunk as low as 62-58 in the final period before Childress stepped up and hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead to 68-58 with 5:24 in the game.
UTSA showed some offensive prowess late in the game once again, pulling within 68-64 with 2:32 in the game before 6-0 run over the next two minutes sealed the Blazers' 74-66 victory.
The Roadrunners now set their sights on the C-USA Tournament, which will be held at The Star in Frisco from March 7-10. The tournament's bracket and UTSA's seeding will be announced later this evening.
More information on the tournament, including ticket information and information on the tournament's Clear Bag Policy, can be found on the C-USA website.
