SAN ANTONIO — A game-high 19 points for freshman Aysia Proctor nearly propelled the UTSA women's basketball team to victory on Thursday night in the Convocation Center, as they narrowly fell to Houston, 66-64 after trailing by as much as 22 in the second quarter.
The Roadrunners (5-4, 0-0 AAC) couldn't overcome the Cougars (8-1, 0-0 Big 12) in a down-to-the-wire contest that saw UTSA shoot 41.9% from the field to Houston's 36.1%. The 'Runners also hauled in 14 more rebounds than their opponents as freshman Idara Udo and senior Kyra White tied for the game-lead with eight. Likewise, classmate Elyssa Coleman was solid on the glass, collecting seven rebounds.
White logged 17 points to go along with five assists, the most on either squad. Joining Proctor and White in the double-digit scoring club, sophomore Sidney Love recorded her seventh consecutive game with at least 10 points, this time logging 13.
After Udo started the contest with a bucket, Houston scored eight straight, leading to an 8-2 score line midway through the first. Proctor nailed a runner, halting the run before knocking down a second-chance bucket to bring UTSA within two. The Cougars, however, increased their advantage to 10 en route to an 18-8 score at the conclusion of the first quarter.
Houston picked up right where they left off, building a 17-point lead early in the second. Multiple three-pointers by White saw a 31-18 score still favoring the Cougars. From there, Coleman connected on a layup to which Houston responded with a seven-point run. Shortly after, the Cougars built a 22-point lead, with another White make sending the squads into the locker room with the scoreboard reading 47-27.
The teams exchanged blows to open the third quarter before Udo, Love, and Proctor all sunk layups, leading to a 49-35 deficit. Not far after, a triple by White kick-started an 11-2 UTSA run that saw a Proctor jumper and a pair of Love free throws pull the Roadrunners within nine at the end of the period.
White knocked down a three-pointer to open the fourth, reflecting a 56-50 score line, but the battle raged on, with Houston regaining a 60-50 advantage using a layup at the 7:51 mark. That bucket represented the final field goal of the contest for the Cougars, as consecutive Proctor scores kept the 'Runners in the fight. After trading shots from the charity stripe, Proctor and Love hit a pair of layups ahead of a White jumper, resulting in a 63-61 score. A trio of Houston free throws extended their lead, but Love knocked down a triple, pulling UTSA within two with 12 seconds on the clock. Houston, however, prevailed, claiming a 66-64 victory.
UTSA will now head to the Pacific Northwest to wrap up nonconference play with a Sunday game at 1 p.m. C.T. against Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena. The road trip will conclude on Tuesday, as the 'Runners meet Seattle at 2 p.m. C.T. inside the Redhawk Center.