LAS VEGAS – The UTSA women's basketball team is set to compete in the Las Vegas Invitational, facing Missouri State on Nov. 25 and St. John's on Nov. 26. Tip-off for both days is set for 1:15 p.m. (PT)/3:15 p.m. (CT) at The Mirage Ballroom in Las Vegas and will be streamed on FloHoops. Tickets for the game are $20 per day and will be available at the door.
LEADING THE ROADRUNNERS
Junior Jordyn Jenkins leads the team in scoring with 42 points, averaging 14.0 per game through the first three games of the season. Redshirt sophomore Elyssa Coleman has done a phenomenal job on defense, leading the team with 23 rebounds. Coleman leads the conference with six blocks (2.00 per game) and is fourth in the conference with 7.7 rebounds per game. Junior Kyra White leads the Roadrunners with 15 assists and four steals. White is first in the conference and 26th in the nation with a 3.75 assist/turnover ratio, also leading Conference USA with 5.0 blocks per game. Freshman Sidney Love has earned the starting point guard spot in the first three games, tied with White with a team-leading four steals.
UTSA is first in the conference with 3.7 blocks per game and second in the conference with a 73.8 free throw percentage. The Roadrunners have outperformed their opponents by 112 rebounds to 96 rebounds with a 5.3 rebounding margin.
LAST TIME OUT
The Roadrunners are coming off a 76-70 win over Abilene Christian on Nov. 20, their first win of the season to improve their record to 1-2. Nwakamma led the team with 16 points, a career high for the senior guard. Four more Roadrunners had double-digit scoring games – Elyssa Coleman with 10 points, Sidney Love with 10 points, Kyra White with 10 points and Queen Ulabo with 11 points. UTSA took advantage of a slow defense by ACU, scoring 19 fast break points. The Roadrunners also harbored some solid reinforcements as the team scored 21 bench points in the matchup.
SCOUTING THE LADY BEARS
In their first year under new head coach Beth Cunningham, the Lady Bears own a 1-2 record after a 73-54 loss to Oklahoma State on Thursday, Nov. 17. Missouri State was picked sixth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Coaches' Poll. The Lady Bears earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season, then falling to Ohio State, 63-56, in the first round.
The Lady Bears are 33rd in the nation with a plus-13.0 rebounding margin. Aniya Thomas leads Missouri State with 37 points in their first three games, averaging 12.3 per game, while also picking up a team-high 11 assists and six steals. Indya Green has 31 total rebounds, ranking 33rd in the nation with 10.3 rebounds per game.
SERIES HISTORY VS MISSOURI STATE
UTSA leads the all-time series, 2-0, over Missouri State. The Roadrunners and Lady Bears last played on Nov. 29, 2007, when UTSA took a 63-59 win over Missouri State.
SCOUTING THE RED STORM
The Red Storm improved to a 4-0 record after a 78-52 win over Stony Book win on Saturday, Nov. 19. St. John's will play Memphis on Friday, Nov. 25, prior to the Roadrunners vs Red Storm matchup on Saturday, Nov. 26. The Red Storm were picked seventh in the preseason Big East Conference Coaches' Poll. St. John's ended its 2021-22 season with a 12-19 record, falling to Villanova in the Big East Conference Tournament Quarterfinal, 76-52.
Kadaja Bailey was named to the All-Big East Preseason Team. Bailey leads the team with 64 points, averaging 16.0 per game through the Red Storm's first four games. Rayven Peeples leads St. John's with 40 rebounds, 27 of those defensive. Jayla Everett has 19 assists and six steals with a 1.43 assist/turnover ratio.
SERIES HISTORY VS ST. JOHN'S
This is the first meeting between UTSA and St. John's.
UP NEXT: The Roadrunners return to the Lone Star State to face Texas State on Nov. 30 in San Marcos, Texas. Tip-off for the battle of I-35 matchup is set for 7 p.m. (CT).
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