RUSTON, La. – The UTSA women's basketball team earned its first road win and snapped a four-game skid with a 66-63 victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday afternoon at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, La.
GAME LEADERS
Jordyn Jenkins led the team with 15 points and seven rebounds, while tied for the team lead with two blocks. Elyssa Coleman also recorded two blocks, along with 14 points and six rebounds. Sidney Love was the final Roadrunner to score in double digits, putting up 13 points. Kyra White had a team-high seven assists and three steals.
The Roadrunners shot 50.9 percent from the field, just their third game this season shooting over 50, while the Lady Techsters shot 43.4 percent. UTSA scored more points in the paint (30) than Louisiana Tech (26).
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
Although the Lady Techsters won the jump ball, they knocked the ball out of bounds shortly after to give UTSA possession. It didn't take long for the Roadrunners to score first as Elyssa Coleman threw up a jumper at 9:50 to give the team a 2-0 advantage. The Lady Techsters quickly responded 18 seconds later. The first quarter saw a lot of back-and-forth action as both teams battled to get out early, seeing three lead changes in the first 10 minutes. UTSA jumped out to a five-point lead, thanks to a Jordyn Jenkins layup with 5:47 on the clock. Louisiana Tech regained the lead with 3:16 left and held onto it, taking a 24-20 game to the second quarter.
In the second quarter, the Roadrunners quickly cut their deficit to 24-22 as Jenkins sank a jump shot right when the period began. The Lady Techsters held onto the lead throughout the second period and even jumped out to a seven-point lead at one point, but the Roadrunners battled within one point with three point shot by Hailey Atwood with 5:45 on the clock. Jenkins put up a jumper with two second left to take the game to intermission with a Louisiana Tech lead of 36-34.
Coming back from the break, UTSA had the first look as Jenkins threw up a jumper to tie the game at 36-36 less than 20 seconds into the third quarter. Louisiana Tech regained the lead about a minute later, but the Roadrunners tied it up again at 38-38 with a fast break layup by Coleman. The Lady Techsters regained the lead once again and jumped out to a six-point advantage at 2:35 but the Roadrunners kept fighting back. The third quarter ended with a 53-48 lead for Louisiana Tech.
The Lady Techsters struck first in the final quarter, jumping out to a seven-point lead with 8:43 on the clock, but that didn't last long. The Roadrunners went on a 7-0 scoring run in the next minute and 37 seconds to tie the game up with a layup by Jenkins at 7:06. After Louisiana Tech regained the lead again, the Roadrunners earned their first lead since the first quarter, off a jumper by Jenkins with 4:34 left. That jump started the Roadrunners second 7-0 run of the final quarter, jumping out to a 64-58 lead with 1:17 left. The Lady Techsters attempted to come back, getting as close as one point with 11 seconds left. Coleman threw up a layup to seal the deal as UTSA earned a crucial 66-63 victory over Louisiana Tech.
UTSA's record improves to 5-15 overall (3-8 in C-USA action), while Louisiana Tech's record falls to 12-9 overall (5-6 in conference play).
UP NEXT: The Roadrunners return home for a pair of games next week, starting with a Feb. 2 matchup against Western Kentucky. The Thursday game is the National Girls and Women in Sports Day and Title IX Recognition Game, set to tip-off at 7 p.m. (CT).
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