UTSA fried Rice to move on to quarterfinal against No. 2 seed WKU
Roadrunners complete comeback win, 62-54, over the Owls to advance to quarterfinal round
FRISCO, Texas – Down 15 points to Rice in the first half, the No. 11-seeded UTSA women's basketball team battled back and used an explosive fourth quarter to defeat No. 3 Rice by 62-54 in the quarterfinal round. This victory advances UTSA to the semifinal round to face No. 2 seed WKU on Friday at 7 p.m. CT on Court A at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GAME
This is the only the fourth time the Roadrunners have earned two wins in a conference tournament, and the first time since joining the Conference USA in 2013. UTSSA has done so three times while in the Southland Conference.
Jordyn Jenkins led the Roadrunners in scoring with 22 points, while also grabbing seven boards. Elyssa Coleman had her fourth double-double of the season, recording 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while also leading the team with two blocks. Sidney Love was the third and final Roadrunner to record a double-digit scoring game with 13 points. Kyra White stepped up for UTSA as Jenkins got in foul trouble, playing 39 of the 40 minutes. White put up nine points, while leading the team with two assists and five steals.
The Roadrunners and Owls played the rebound game evenly as both teams picked up 15 offensive boards and 28 defensive boards for 43 total rebounds. UTSA scored 38 points in the paint while Rice countered with 28. The Roadrunners took advantage of a slow Owls defense as UTSA recorded 12 points on fast breaks and Rice only recorded two.
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
The game was fairly even through the first quarter as the Owls outscored the Roadrunners by only three points. Three straight baskets by Rice gave them an early 6-0 lead. This didn't phase UTSA as they scored two free throws and two baskets to even the score. A second-chance layup by Coleman gave the Roadrunners an 8-6 lead, their first advantage of the game. The score bounced back and forth for a while, but two free throws by Rice's Malia Fisher lifted the Owls over the Roadrunners by 17-14 at the end of the quarter.
The Owls dominated the second period as they opened it with a 12-0 scoring run. The Roadrunners didn't score first until a free throw by Madison Cockrell, followed by a layup by White. UTSA made just one more basket in the quarter as Maya Linton put up a layup in the paint. A pullup jumper by the Owls with 1:21 on the clock would be the last basket of the period as Rice took a 31-19 lead to the break.
Having a 12-point deficit to overcome, the Roadrunners came back from halftime with a vengeance. They battled back to cut their deficit to eight points in the third quarter. With Jenkins sitting out due to foul trouble for a good portion of the third quarter, White stepped up and led the team with seven points to fight back against Rice's strong offense. The Roadrunners cut their deficit down to six points twice during the period and they were both on baskets by White. With 3:30 on the clock, the junior sank a three-point basket to cut the Owls' lead to 36-30. Later, she scored a driving layup to cut the deficit to 40-34. A couple made free throws ensured Rice's 42-34 lead to end the third quarter.
With just 10 minutes to go, the Roadrunners turned up the heat. Scoring bounced back and forth as UTSA scored and Rice responded. This made the Owls start playing too defensive as they got called for 10 fouls in the final period which proved to be costly. A 5-0 scoring run by the Roadrunners got the game within the one point with 4:52 left. In the final two minutes and six seconds, UTSA went on a 12-1 scoring run partly because of the Owls fouling more. A jumper by Jenkins with 1:32 on the clock tied the game at 54-54. Four fouls in the final minute gave the Roadrunners the lead and extended it to eight points. UTSA took advantage of Rice's late fouls as the Roadrunners completed their come-from-behind 62-54 win over the Owls.
UTSA's record improves to 13-18 overall, while Rice ends their postseason with a 22-8 overall record.
LOOKING AHEAD
UTSA survives once again and advances to play No. 2 seed WKU on Friday at 7 p.m. on Court A. The Lady Toppers won both of the regular season matchups against the Roadrunners. WKU is one of only two teams in the conference that UTSA went 0-2 against.
In the first matchup in Bowling Green, Ky., the Lady Toppers took a 77-69 win over the Roadrunners. Kyra White led UTSA as she scored a career-high 18 points, including a career-high three three-point baskets. Two more Roadrunners scored in double digits – Elyssa Coleman (17) and Sidney Love (14). Coleman was just a rebound shy of a double-double, leading the team with nine boards. UTSA led the way in almost every category, but the three-pointers and turnovers made the difference. The Lady Toppers notched 10 three-point baskets, while the Roadrunners countered with four. UTSA had 23 turnovers, while WKU had 14 turnovers.
The second matchup at the Roadrunners' home court at the Convocation Center, the Lady Toppers took a 73-67 win. This game saw the first time the Roadrunners had five double-digit scorers since 2021 - Elyssa Coleman (13), Jordyn Jenkins (14), Hailey Atwood (12), Kyra White (11) and Deborah Nwakamma (11). Coleman paired her scoring with 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. The Roadrunners recorded a season-high 23 assists. White was just an assist short of a double-double. Jenkins, White and Coleman had two blocks each. The Roadrunners dominated in the paint, outscoring the Lady Toppers by 36 points to 16 points. UTSA and WKU were tied with 40 rebounds each. From the field, the Roadrunners shot 46.6 percent (27-58) while the Lady Toppers shot 31.9 percent (23-72).
The Lady Toppers are on a four-game winning streak after their 71-67 win over UAB in the quarterfinal matchup today. WKU is 9-2 in games decided by five points or less this season. Jaylin Foster and Acacia Hayes each had a team-high 14 points. Foster led the team with eight rebounds. Hayes earned the most assists with four, while Mya Meredith and Alexis Mead each notched four steals.
Through the season, Hayes leads the Lady Toppers with 332 points, averaging 11.1 per game. Jaylin Foster leads the team with 170 total rebounds, 16 blocks and 62 steals, while Mead has a team-high 95 assists. Foster was named to the All-Defensive Team, while Hayes was named to the3 All-Freshman Team. The Lady Toppers are first in the conference with 12.0 steals per game and 28.8 three-point attempts per game.
UP NEXT: The winner of this semifinal matchup of No. 6 UTSA/No. 2 WKU will advance to play the winner of the No. 1 Middle Tennessee/No. 4 UTEP in the championship on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
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