BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Despite a double-double by senior Kyra White, the UTSA women's basketball team suffered a 54-53 setback at the hands of UAB on Sunday in American Athletic Conference action inside Bartow Arena.
The Roadrunners (10-8, 4-3 The American) fell to the Blazers (14-4, 5-1 The American), as White delivered a standout performance, dropping 11 points and snagging 10 rebounds, while sophomore Sidney Love and freshman Idara Udo each matched her scoring total.
Newcomer Aysia Proctor and redshirt junior Elyssa Coleman flirted with double-doubles of their own, as the pair scored nine points and snagged eight rebounds, respectively. Additionally, UTSA outshot the opposition, with the Roadrunners converting 37% from the field to the Blazers' 31%
The 'Runners scored the first six points of the first quarter, with Udo, Love, and Proctor all hitting shots before UAB answered with a triple. An Udo layup then put UTSA up three, and a Love three-pointer shortly after saw an 11-5 score line. After exchanging blows, the Blazers knocked down a triple of their own, ahead of two sophomore Madison Cockrell free throws and a Coleman jumper that resulted in an 18-10 lead at the conclusion of the period.
UTSA stayed hot, kick-starting the second stanza with a 6-0 run that featured a Coleman jumper, a Proctor three-ball, and a Love layup. UAB then scored nine of the following 12 points, using multiple three-pointers to work a 28-21 score line. White knocked down her first of two free throws, with Udo putting back the second for a 31-21 lead entering the locker room.
UAB cut their deficit to five, to which White responded, sparking a 6-0 UTSA surge on three consecutive makes. With UTSA leading 37-26, the teams traded buckets until UAB sunk a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third quarter with a 43-37 score line, that still favored the Roadrunners.
The Blazers started the fourth off hot, scoring six straight to knot the contest at 43. Proctor halted the run with a layup, but UAB quickly answered to force another deadlock. The Blazers scored once more, securing a 47-45 lead that represented their first of the afternoon. White found Udo in the lane for two, and the battle raged on before a UAB layup handed the Blazers a 52-49 advantage. Coleman converted a layup, seeing a 54-51 score, still favoring UAB with less than a minute to play. The Roadrunners got a crucial stop on defense, and Udo scored on a put-back layup, but the final buzzer sounded, cementing a 54-53 victory for the Blazers.
UTSA will be back in action on Saturday, with a 2 p.m. tipoff against SMU inside the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas.
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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