SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA women's basketball team is set to travel across town to go head-to-head with crosstown rival UIW on Thursday night. Tip-off on ESPN+ is set for 6 p.m. (CT) at the McDermott Center.
LEADING THE ROADRUNNERS
Junior Jordyn Jenkins leads the team in scoring with 129 points, averaging 18.4 per game through seven games. Jenkins also leads the team with 11 steals. Redshirt sophomore Elyssa Coleman has done a phenomenal job on defense with a team-high 11 blocks (1.57 per game) and 49 rebounds (7.0 per game). Junior Kyra White leads the Roadrunners with 24 assists, also recording seven blocks and seven steals. White is sixth in the conference and 170th in the nation with a 1.50 assist/turnover ratio. Freshman Sidney Love has earned the starting point guard spot in the first seven games, second-most on the team in both assists (19) and points (72).
UTSA is first in the conference with 4.4 blocks per game. The Roadrunners have outperformed their opponents by 266 rebounds to 232 rebounds with a 4.9 rebounding margin.
LAST TIME OUT
Jenkins logged her third 20-point output in the last four games to help the Roadrunners improve to 2-0 at home and 2-5 on the season. The junior transfer from USC was 8 of 13 from the floor and she added seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block.
Jenkins was joined in double figures by Sidney Love, who poured in a season-high 17 including a 7-for-7 effort at the free-throw line, and Queen Ulabo, who drained four 3-pointers en route to 15 points, also a season best. In a game that featured eight lead changes and five ties, UTSA used a bit run late in the first half to build a cushion and run past the Vandals, who fell to 2-6.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
UIW has a 3-4 record after a 92-41 win over DII institution Schreiner on Dec. 12. The Cardinals were picked to finish seventh in the preseason Southland Conference Coaches' Poll. UIW ended the 2021-22 season with a 14-17 overall record, winning its first Southland Conference Championship and earning its first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
The Cardinals are 50th in the nation and second in their conference in scoring defense (57.0). Nina De Leon Negron leads UIW with 74 points, averaging 10.6 points per game, while notching a team-high 11 steals. Destiny Terrell has collected 37 boards, including 24 defensive rebounds so far.
SERIES HISTORY VS UIW
UTSA holds a 3-1 advantage over UIW in the all-times series history. The Roadrunners and Cardinals last played each other on Nov. 21, 2021, when UTSA took a 66-60 win over UIW. The win over the crosstown rival was head coach Karen Aston's first victory at the reins of UTSA. Elyssa Coleman led the Roadrunners in the matchup recording her first career double-double (14 points and 12 rebounds).
UP NEXT: The Roadrunners close out their nonconference schedule at Houston on Dec. 19. Tip-off for UTSA's final matchup before the holiday break is set for 11 a.m. at Fertitta Center, the Cougars' home court.
-UTSA-
