HOUSTON—The UTSA women's basketball team outlasted Rice on Saturday, using a hot start and stout defense down the stretch to collect a 57-55 win in American Athletic Conference action at Tudor Fieldhouse.
The Roadrunners (23-3, 13-1 The American) used a hot start to outlast the Owls (6-18, 4-9 The American), with the victory allowing UTSA to tie the 2007-08 team for the second-most wins in program history.
Redshirt senior Jordyn Jenkins led the squad in scoring to the tune of 19 points with four rebounds, while junior Cheyenne Rowe posted 10 points off the bench. Additionally, graduate student Nina De Leon Negron made her mark with seven assists, five rebounds and four steals.
The 'Runners started hot, as multiple sophomore Idara Udo makes issued a 6-0 advantage. Shortly after, triples for Jenkins and Rowe featured in a 10-0 surge that saw an 18-4 lead. Rice clawed back within nine before the conclusion of the period, working a 23-14 score line, still favoring UTSA.
Junior Maya Linton opened the second with a trey, and the Owls matched before the squads began exchanging blows. A sophomore Aysia Proctor three-pointer put the Roadrunners up 32-19, but Rice responded with a 6-0 run that decreased their deficit to seven. The battle raged on as Linton capped off the half with a pair of free throws for a 36-27 edge.
The teams matched each other for the majority of the third, with a final Owl bucket sending the squads into the fourth with UTSA leading, 47-39.
A Rice jumper and a free throw pulled them within five early in the fourth, and a Rowe make helped UTSA stay ahead. The Owls connected from beyond the arc not long after for a 53-49 score. De Leon Negron cashed in from deep moments later, but back-to-back layups for Rice brought them within three. A scoring drought ensued, and the Owls ended up with the basketball down, 56-53, with 32 seconds on the clock. Rice got a shot to fall, issuing a 56-55 score line with 15 ticks to go. They forced a jump ball to regain possession but could not connect on a game-winner as Udo came down with the rebound. A quick foul sent De Leon Negron to the charity stripe, where she made the first and missed the second, giving the Owls one last chance with 0.6 seconds on the clock. They got the shot off, but it wouldn't connect as UTSA escaped Tudor Fieldhouse with a 57-55 victory.
The 'Runners will remain on the road, next visiting Tulane on Tuesday in New Orleans.
Keep up with UTSA Women’s Basketball all season long by following the program on Facebook /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB
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