SAN ANTONIO — Despite a stalwart double-double effort from forward Jordyn Jenkins, the UIW Cardinals (4-4) were able to squeeze past the visiting UTSA Roadrunners (2-6) in the final quarter of Thursday's non-conference matchup at the McDermott Center, holding off a final UTSA push in the closing seconds to hand the Roadrunners a 56-53 loss just under 20 miles from their campus.
A combined 34-point output between post players Jenkins and Elyssa Coleman earned the Roadrunners a solid advantage early in the second half, but the Cardinals worked their way back from the 11-point deficit across the final 16 minutes of play.
UTSA jumped out to a quick lead in the first quarter, sparked by Jenkins' quick layup as Kyra White found her streaking toward the basket off the tip. A high-low dump-off from Jenkins to Coleman on the next possession made it a four-point advantage. As the Cardinals finally found some footing, they twice tied the game with a pair of layups and a set of free throws. However, the UTSA defense shut down the scoring and worked to a 10-6 advantage at the end of the opening stanza, capped by a crucial Jenkins block with only four seconds remaining.
In the second, UIW kept UTSA off the board early, using intermittent free throws to chip the advantage down to the game's third tie at 10-all. Quick to respond to the threat, Coleman made the most of an and-one opportunity, pushing the lead back out to three. Again with strictly free throws, UIW added the fourth tie and briefly took the lead at 6:21 on a free throw set by point guard Nina De Leon Negron. Jenkins hit a free throw just 17 seconds later and White then found her for a layup to go back in front – ending a six-and-a-half minute field goal drought for the Roadrunners. Sydney Love added pressure on the Cardinals with a putback on the offensive glass, as the teams scrapped over a single-possession game for the next five minutes, until White drove around the defense and down the left side of the lane to give UTSA a five-point halftime advantage.
Opening with a three by Love just 20 seconds into the second half, both teams came out of the break offensively revitalized, trading scores until White poked the ball away and fed Jenkins on a fast-break layup with 6:33 on the third quarter clock, sparking a mini-run that added another layup apiece for Jenkins and Coleman to stretch the lead to 11.
Jorja Elliott's response three dipped the lead back to single digits briefly, until Jenkins hit a challenged shot in the lane to go ahead 38-28. Again, it was Elliott to counter, receiving a quick touchdown pass layup off the inbound. Myra Bell hit the final shot of the quarter at 1:26, sending UTSA into the final frame with a 40-32 lead.
That closing shot kicked off a 15-3 Cardinals scoring run, spearheaded by nine points from Negron, which trimmed the UTSA advantage to a single point on her step-back three with 5:15 to play. Negron then found Chloe Storer for a fast break layup on UIW's next possession to claim their first lead since the opening period. White snapped an 8-0 UIW run with a pull-up jumper for the 'Runners, but Negron immediately countered. Adding a Destiny Terrell free throw, Negron then took a steal the distance to go up four with just under three minutes to play.
The Roadrunners remained in striking distance down the stretch and Deborah Nwakamma nailed a long two from the corner with 1.6 on the clock. However, time expired as UTSA intercepted the inbound and Jenkins was unable to get a shot off.
A transfer forward from USC, Jenkins paced all Roadrunner scorers with her first UTSA double-double (sixth overall in her career), registering 21 points and a season-high 11 rebounds on the night, in addition to a pair of assists. A core target in the first half, Coleman finished with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, adding a pair of blocks to extend her team-leading total to 13 on the year. Love and White each chipped in six points, recording six and five rebounds, respectively.
For the Cardinals, Negron led all scorers on the night with 25 points, logging four rebounds and four assists.
The Roadrunners will return to action on Monday, Dec. 19, when they travel up I-10 to meet the University of Houston. Tip-off is set for 11:00 a.m. at the Fertitta Center.
