HOUSTON – The UTSA women's basketball team battled until the very last second but fell to Rice, 78-76, on Monday night in Houston at Tudor Fieldhouse.
GAME LEADERS
Three Roadrunners scored in double digits, led by Jordyn Jenkins' 26 points. Jenkins also led the team with eight rebounds and three blocks. Elyssa Coleman contributed 12 points, while Kyra White trailed her with 11 points. White also led the team with seven assists. Freshman point guard Sidney Love had a team-high four steals.
The Roadrunners shot 50 percent from the field (29-58) while the Owls shot 43.3 percent from the field (29-67). UTSA had the advantage in the paint with 40 points in the paint compared to Rice's 28 points in the paint. The Roadrunners also went 13-for-17 at the charity stripe, while the Owls went 8-for-13 at the free throw line. UTSA continues to struggle with turnovers with 20, which Rice converted to 23 points.
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
The Owls scored first in the first quarter, but the Roadrunners quickly responded to take the lead. Rice tied the game up with a free throw but UTSA then went on a 5-0 scoring run to regain the lead and add some cushion. A fast break layup by Jenkins with 27 seconds left in the quarter gave her 10 points in just the first period and also gave UTSA a 20-12 lead.
Hailey Atwood opened up scoring in the second quarter with a layup in the paint to give UTSA a 10-point advantage. The Owls began chipping away at their deficit slowly but surely, using a nine-point scoring run. Rice took a one-point lead with 36 seconds left, but Madison Cockrell handed UTSA back a one-point lead with six seconds left, taking the Roadrunners to the intermission with a 39-38 lead.
Coming back from halftime, Rice didn't take a long to take the lead as the Owls sank a three-point basket within the first 30 seconds back. The Owls outscored the Roadrunners by 19 points to 16 points in the third quarter, taking the lead and holding on to it during the period. The game went to the final quarter with Rice leading 57-52.
In the final quarter, the Roadrunners outscored the Owls by 24 points to 21 points. Jenkins helped make it a close game as she led UTSA with 12 points. Fighting until the very last second, she attempted a jump shot to tie the game with one second left on the clock, but it didn't quite make it as UTSA fell to Rice, 78-76.
UTSA's record falls to 4-12 overall (2-5 in C-USA action), while Rice's record improves to 12-4 overall (3-4 in conference play).
UP NEXT: The Roadrunners continue their week-long road trip, heading to the Sunshine State for two more games. UTSA is set to play Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Fla., on Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. (CT), before heading to Miami to play FIU on Jan. 21 at 12 p.m. (CT).
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