SAN ANTONIO — On Friday, freshman Aysia Proctor dropped 19 points as the UTSA women's basketball team took down New Mexico State 58-55 for their first victory of the season in nonconference action at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners (1-1, 0-0 AAC) bested the Aggies (0-2, 0-0 C-USA) as Proctor went 8-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. In addition to Proctor's success, senior Kyra White aided the offense, scoring 14 and hauling in eight boards, while sophomore Maya Linton logged nine points.
Freshman Idara Udo delivered another stellar performance on the glass, leading the contest with 11 rebounds, while senior Elyssa Coleman had a game-high four blocks.
An and-one for Linton and a three-pointer for White helped UTSA take an early 6-3 lead in the first quarter. NM State then embarked on an 8-0 run that allowed them to go up 13-6. The Roadrunners answered with an 8-0 surge of their own that was capped off by a trio of Proctor makes. With UTSA now holding a 15-13 advantage, the Aggies found the bottom of the net for a 15-15 tie at the conclusion of the period.
Coleman sunk a layup, and sophomore Sidney Love converted an and-one for a quick 20-15 edge to start the second stanza. Not to be deterred, NM State scored 16 of the following 20 points to earn a 31-24 advantage in a stretch that saw only Proctor and White log scores for UTSA. Linton converted one last layup before the teams headed to the locker room with the Aggies leading 31-26.
Coleman, Linton, and White all knocked down shots out of the break ahead of a Proctor three-pointer that gave UTSA a 35-33 advantage. The squads then exchanged blows before the 'Runners wrapped up the third quarter with four consecutive points for a 45-40 lead.
The battle raged on throughout the final frame, with an Udo jumper keeping the opposition at arm's length. The Aggies cut their deficit to one after knocking down a pair from the charity stripe, reflecting a 51-50 score line. Again, exchanging blows, an Aggie layup kept NM State in the fight as the game neared its conclusion. With UTSA up 56-55, White and Proctor each went 1-for-2 from the free throw line, giving the Aggies one more possession down 58-55. Tylie Jones loaded up a shot but couldn't get past Udo, who swatted it down and secured the Roadrunner's first victory of the season.
UTSA will be back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 15, as they head to the Sparkling City by the Sea for a 7 p.m. tipoff against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi inside the Dugan Wellness Center.
Keep up with UTSA Women's Basketball all season long on goutsa.com and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB.
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