SAN ANTONIO – Karrington Donald scored a career-high 24 points as the UTSA women's basketball team fell short to UTEP, 73-60 in the conference opener.
UTSA (5-8) is now 1-5 in C-USA openers, while UTEP (4-10) improves to 11-3.
The Roadrunners started the first quarter with a 6-0 run against the Miners. UTSA forced eight turnovers with four steals while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. Marie Benson led the team with seven points as the roadrunners had an 18-9 lead going to the second.
UTSA scored just 12 points in the second quarter as UTEP went on a 9-0 run, closing in the gap. The Roadrunners scored 40 percent from the field, while the Miners shot 50 percent to bridge the difference and tie the game at 30 going into halftime.
The Roadrunners fell behind in the third, trailing by seven twice. Once was at the 3:23 mark until a shot from Tija Hawkins brought the score within five. The second time was at 2:36 and Karrington Donald scored twice to bring the Roadrunners within three, but it wasn't enough as the Miners led 49-47 going into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Miners continued to find the basketball, scoring 24 points. Donald hit two shots from the arch, but UTEP shot 46.2 percent from the field to capture the victory.
Karrington Donald's 24 points marks a career-high for the sophomore and the second player to reach this mark on this squad, joining Marie Benson.
The Roadrunners hit the road for games at Rice on Jan. 10 and North Texas on Jan. 12.
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