UTSA to host UAB in Cancer Awareness contestUTSA to host UAB in Cancer Awareness contest
Katie Meyers / UTSA Atlhetics
Women's Basketball

UTSA to host UAB in Cancer Awareness contest

The Roadrunners and Blazers will meet at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the Convocation Center

SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA women's basketball team will host UAB on Sunday at 1 p.m., as the squad honors those who have been affected by cancer in their annual Cancer Awareness game. Fans can receive a limited edition pink UTSA t-shirt with a minimum donation to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, and a silent auction will be held with the winner receiving a pink t-shirt signed by the team and head coach Karen Aston.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with Karl Schoening providing play-by-play alongside Carlie Heineman. Neal Raphael will deliver the radio call in the greater San Antonio area on The Bull 93.3 FM and worldwide on the iHeartRadio app

The Roadrunners (11-10, 5-5 The American) are coming off a week of rest, last falling to Tulane 75-64 after besting North Texas 75-67 in an overtime showdown. 

Redshirt junior Elyssa Coleman was phenomenal for UTSA across the games, averaging a double-double to the tune of 15.0 ppg and 10.5 rpg to go with six steals and four blocks. First, she scored nine points, with nine rebounds against the Mean Green before putting up 21 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals against the Green Wave. Freshman Idara Udo delivered a double-double of her own against UNT, logging 14 points and 12 rebounds.

The ’Runners enter the contest ranked inside the top 25 nationally, including rebounds per game, which sits sixth at 46.29. UTSA’s plus-11.0 rebound margin slots them seventh, while 16.5 offensive rebounds per game rank eighth, and 29.8 defensive boards per game are 12th. Additionally, the Roadrunners maintain the 22nd-best field goal defense in the NCAA, keeping opponents to a 36.3% clip, and 4.9 blocks per game are 22nd as well. 

Individually, senior Kyra White is second in the American Athletic Conference with 5.2 apg and plays the second-most minutes in the league at 34.9. Coleman, meanwhile, is second in The American with 34 blocks on the season. 

The Blazers (17-6, 8-3 The American) sit atop the AAC and recently picked up a 94-77 victory over Tulane, after dropping a 72-69 decision to USF. 

A 77.4% free throw percentage leads The American and sits 25th nationally. The Blazers also lead the conference in fewest fouls committed, averaging just 14.6 per game. The squad excels from beyond the arc, sinking 36.7 shots from distance and holding their opponents to a 26.8% conversion rate. 

Mia Moore has been nothing short of dominant for UAB, as her 11 double-doubles pace the conference and represent the 21st-highest total in the NCAA. She averages 15.5 ppg, and her 9.2 rpg top the league. Aiding the offensive, Denim DeShields’ 5.3 apg sits just in front of White for the most in the AAC, and Maddie Walsh ranks ninth nationally with a 44.9% three-point percentage. 

UTSA and UAB previously met on Jan. 21, when UAB claimed a narrow 54-53 victory inside the Bartow Center. Despite the result, the Roadrunners outshot their competition, converting 37% of their shots to the Blazers 31%. White logged a double-double, dropping 11 points with 10 rebounds, while sophomore Sidney Love and Udo joined her in scoring 11 points. Classmate Aysia Proctor and Coleman flirted with double-doubles of their own, as the pair scored nine points and snagged eight rebounds, respectively.

Keep up with UTSA Women's Basketball all season long on and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB.

 

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