SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA women's basketball program is back in the Convocation Center on Saturday, as they'll take on Sam Houston at 1 p.m. in the squad's annual Salute to Education game.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Karl Schoening (play-by-play), Carlie Heineman (analyst) and Taylor Guajardo (reporter) on the call. Neal Raphael will deliver all the action on the radio in the greater San Antonio area on The Bull 93.3 FM and worldwide on the iHeartRadio app.
The Roadrunners (6-1, 0-0 The American) have won their last six and have tied the 1996-97 and 2007-08 seasons for the second-hottest start in program history. UTSA's 1985-86 campaign serves as the best, with the 'Runners posting an 11-1 mark before wrapping up the season 18-9. A win for the Roadrunners on Saturday would also hand UTSA their first seven-game winning streak since 2013-14.
Redshirt senior Jordyn Jenkins carries momentum into the matchup after she claimed American Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors following two stellar performances at the Puerto Rico Clasico. She first dropped 14 points and nine rebounds in a 62-53 win over UNC Greensboro before scoring 18 across a 71-40 victory against Towson. In total, she tallied 16.0 PPG at a 52.2% clip with three blocks, three steals, and 11 rebounds.
UTSA enters the matchup atop the conference in several statistics, including scoring margin (+11.3), scoring defense (56.3), rebound margin (+9.6), and free throw percentage (74.2).
Individually, Jenkins paces The American with a 53.3% mark from the field and 49 field goals made. She's also swished 40 shots from the charity stripe, and 20.3 PPG not only leads the AAC but is 19th in the NCAA. Graduate student Nina De Leon Negron and junior Sidney Love are both top-five on the league's assist/turnover leader board, with De Leon Negron second and 25th nationally at 3.00. Love, meanwhile, boasts a 2.27 margin for the third-best in the conference, and 34 assists are third as well.
The Bearkats (5-2, 0-0 CUSA) have won their last three, including a 75-53 victory over McMurry on Thursday.
They are in the top 10 in the NCAA in a trio of statistics, with 29.17 turnovers per game sitting third, 19.7 offensive rebounds per game fourth, and 25.0 free throw attempts per game sixth. SHSU is also 11th with a 9.83 turnover margin, 10th in SPG at 14.2, and are 17th boasting 44.5 RPG.
Deborah Ogayemi has played a significant role in their success, with a trio of double-doubles on the year. She's seventh in the nation with 5.0 offensive boards each time out, and 9.8 RPG are 36th. Also performing well, Aysia Ward-Strong ranks 15th in the country with 23 steals, and her average of four a game is fourth.
Kaila Kelly, Ogayemi and Ward-Strong all maintain double-digit scoring figures, with Kelley and Ogayemi tying for a team-lead 13.2 PPG. Additionally, Fanta Kone has dished out more assists than any other Bearkat with 28 on the year.
Keep up with UTSA Women's Basketball on goutsa.com and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB.
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