SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA women's basketball team hosts UAB for a Conference USA matchup on New Year's Eve. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. (CT) at the Convocation Center.
Fans will have another opportunity to take photos with the UTSA football and women's soccer trophies at the game.
LEADING THE ROADRUNNERS
Junior Jordyn Jenkins leads the team and conference in scoring with 206 points, averaging 20.6 per game. Jenkins also leads the team with 15 steals and 71 rebounds. Redshirt sophomore Elyssa Coleman has done a phenomenal job on defense with a team-high 16 blocks (1.60 per game), while also collecting 67 rebounds. Junior Kyra White leads the Roadrunners with 39 assists, also recording 12 steals and eight blocks. White is sixth in the conference with a 1.60 assist/turnover ratio. Freshman Sidney Love has earned the starting point guard spot in every game so far, second-most on the team in assists (24) and third-most in points (83).
UTSA is first in the conference with 4.4 blocks per game. The Roadrunners have outperformed their opponents by 384 rebounds to 319 rebounds with a 6.5 rebounding margin.
JINKIES FOR JENKINS
Jordyn Jenkins was named the Conference USA Player of the Week on Monday, Dec. 26, after scoring a career-high 35 points over Houston last week. This is her second consecutive week and third time earning the award this season. The junior forward has led UTSA in scoring in all but one game so far.
Newcomer Jenkins was named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, the first Roadrunner to earn that honor. The Becky Hammon Award was first given out in 2020 and aims to celebrate those playing in the 26 mid-major conferences.
Jenkins is a transfer from the University of Southern California, where she played the last two seasons. At USC, she led the team offensively in almost every category while starting in 26 of 28 games last season. Jenkins led the Trojans in total points (384/14.8 per game), free throws made (110) and field goals made (134). She had 173 rebounds, the second most on the team. The Kent, Wash., native was named the Pac-12 Most Improved Player, as well as earning All-Pac 12 Honors at the end of the season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Roadrunners are coming off a 62-57 loss to Louisiana Tech in their C-USA opener on Thursday. UTSA owns a 2-8 overall record (0-1 in C-USA action) after the loss.
Redshirt-sophomore Elyssa Coleman recorded her second double-double of the season with 12 points scored and a team-high 11 rebounds. Jordyn Jenkins led the Roadrunners in scoring for the ninth time this season, racking up 21 points. Senior Hailey Atwood had her best performance this season with seven boards. UTSA had the advantage with 36 points in the paint to Louisiana Tech's 12. Although the Roadrunners had 23 made field goals to the Lady Techsters' 19 made field goals, the difference maker in the game was at the free-throw line. Louisiana Tech went 16 for 18 at the charity stripe, while UTSA went 8 for 10.
SCOUTING THE BLAZERS
UAB holds a 8-3 record (0-2 in C-USA action) after a 76-58 loss to UTEP on Thursday. The Blazers were picked to finish seventh out of 11 teams in the preseason C-USA Coaches' Poll. UAB ended the 2021-22 season with a 16-15 overall record, falling in the C-USA quarterfinal match to Louisiana Tech to conclude their season.
UAB leads the conference in a few different categories – 1.10 assist/turnover ratio, 28.7 defensive rebounds per game, 77.4 scoring offense, 37.8 three-point percentage and 9.9 three-pointers per game. Margaret Whitley leads the Blazers with 137 points, averaging 12.5 per game. Maria Roters has a team-high 51 rebounds and 16 steals, while freshman Denim DeShields has a team-high 41 assists.
SERIES HISTORY VS UAB
The Blazers holds a 8-3 advantage over the Roadrunners in the all-times series history. UTSA and UAB last played each other on Feb. 23, 2022, when the Roadrunners fell to the Blazers, 57-50. Elyssa Coleman led UTSA with 12 points, while also contributing five rebounds. Deborah Nwakamma trailed her with 11 points and five rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Roadrunners hit the road to open up the New Year, traveling to face conference leader Middle Tennessee on Jan. 5, 2023. Tip-off for the matchup is set for 6 p.m. (CT) at Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
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