EL PASO – Behind a sensational second-half effort by redshirt senior Jordyn Jenkins, the UTSA women’s basketball team erased an 11-point halftime deficit en route to a 78-73 victory over UTEP in nonconference action at the Don Haskins Center.
The Roadrunners (3-1, 0-0 The American) took down the Miners (2-1, 0-0 CUSA) as Jenkins recorded 30 points, 28 of which came in the second half.
The Renton, Washington native also pulled down 12 rebounds for a season-high and her third double-double of the campaign. Jenkins shot 10-for-13 and 10-for-12 from the charity stripe, representing UTSA’s first 30-point scorer since current Director of Operations Elyssa Coleman charted 32 against Wichita State on Jan. 6, 2024.
Graduate student Nina De Leon Negron facilitated the offense, tallying 13 points with eight assists on 50% shooting, snagging her 500th career rebound in the process. Also performing well, senior Nyayongah Gony scored seven with six boards, and junior Maya Linton charted 12 points. Additionally, freshman Mia Hammonds made her collegiate debut.
The Roadrunners shot 56% from the field to the Miners 46% and prevailed in the paint, scoring 14 more points under the basket.
Sophomore Idara Udo cracked the game open with a bucket, and UTEP swiftly responded with a triple. After exchanging blows, three-pointers for junior Sidney Love and De Leon Negron helped work a 10-7 score line midway through the frame. UTEP again replied, and a back-and-forth battle ensued ahead of a trey for the Miners, who saw an 18-18 tie as the quarter concluded.
The slugfest continued until UTEP strung together a 6-0 run for a 29-24 lead. Sophomore Emma Lucio cashed in from downtown, but UTEP replied with a three of their own that kick-started a 9-0 surge, resulting in a 38-27 score line entering the locker room.
The ‘Runners started the third on a 7-2 run that saw makes for Udo and De Leon Negron as well as a three-pointer for Linton. A later Jenkins bucket pulled the ‘Runners within seven, and another Linton trey saw a 43-39 score line still favoring UTEP. De Leon Negron found Jenkins on an alley-oop, but the Miners tickled the twine on a three that kept them in front. UTSA scored the subsequent 10 points in a streak that featured seven by Jenkins before taking a 53-43 lead into the final frame.
UTEP clawed back within one, ahead of four Jenkins freebies that saw a 63-58 score line midway through the fourth. A Linton layup and another Jenkins bucket followed for a 67-59 Roadrunner lead, and a later Jenkins and-one put UTSA up 72-64. From there, UTEP was unable to recover as the ‘Runners cemented a 78-73 win.
The Roadrunners will return to the Convocation Center, where a matchup with undefeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi awaits on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
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