FRISCO, Texas– The UTSA women’s basketball team erased a 10-point deficit with under four minutes in the fourth quarter, as the ‘Runners took down Grand Canyon, 65-64, in a thrilling finale at the Hoopfest Women’s Basketball Challenge at the Comerica Center on Wednesday.
The Roadrunners (3-3, 0-0 The American) bested the Lopes (1-6, 0-0 WAC), after a three-pointer for GCU saw a 57-47 lead with 3:32 remaining in the contest. Junior Jayda Holiman then sparked the comeback, connecting from range, and senior Cheyenne Rowe went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe to keep UTSA in the fight. After two free throws for the Lopes, Rowe hit from beyond the arc, and sophomore Emilia Dannebauer sunk two freebies to pull within two with 56 ticks remaining. GCU hit a three, and classmate Damara Allen matched to keep things close. Two more free throws followed for the Lopes, but Rowe nailed a triple from the top of the key for a 64-63 score line, still favoring GCU. Sophomore Mia Hammonds intercepted a pass and got the ball to Rowe, who was fouled with seven seconds remaining. With ice in her veins, she nailed both free throws, and stifling defense cemented the victory for UTSA.
Rowe logged a new career-high in scoring with 20 points – 10 of which came in the fourth quarter – and she also snagged seven rebounds. Holiman and Allen each charted 12 points, with Holiman pulling down eight boards and Allen six. Dannebauer logged a collegiate-best seven points in the effort, while senior Ereauna Hardaway scored seven with four assists and three rebounds. UTSA finished the matchup 16-of-17 from the free-throw line and shot 60% from beyond the arc. Additionally, the Roadrunners pulled down nine more rebounds than the opposition.
Junior Idara Udo connected on a jumper to kick-start the contest, and a pair of freebies for Rowe saw a 4-0 edge. The Lopes evened things before UTSA sparked a 10-3 rally for a 14-7 advantage. GCU halted the run with back-to-back triples, and two free throws for Rowe capped off the quarter with UTSA up, 16-13.
Holiman hit from range, and Hardaway finished on the break for a 21-13 lead. From there, the Lopes tickled the twin on a triple, and the squads exchanged blows en route to a 28-23 halftime score.
Another trey for Holiman and a Rowe jumper combined for a 35-27 UTSA edge midway through the third. The Lopes then embarked on a 7-0 surge that pulled them within one. Hardaway got one to go, but back-to-back buckets for GCU handed them their third first lead of the afternoon. Allen then beat the buzzer to regain a 40-38 advantage entering the final frame.
GCU started the fourth hot, scoring seven of the first eight to go up, 45-41. Consecutive makes shortly after issued a 52-45 lead for the Lopes with five minutes remaining. After trading makes, GCU knocked down a three-pointer to increase their advantage to 10, before Holiman sparked the UTSA comeback.
The Roadrunners will now turn their attention toward the UNLV Rebels, with a 6:30 p.m. tip on Wednesday in San Antonio at the Convocation Center.
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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