NEW YORK— The UTSA women’s basketball team dropped a nailbiter to Columbia, falling 70-65 in Levien Gymnasium on Saturday in the squad’s final nonconference contest.
The Roadrunners (5-6, 0-0 The American) fell to the Lions (8-4, 0-0 Ivy), as Columbia scored 11 straight in the final three minutes of the game to erase what was a six-point UTSA lead. Senior Ereauna Hardaway led the way for the ‘Runners, scoring 17 to go with seven assists, six rebounds and two steals. Classmate Cheyenne Rowe was not far behind with 16 points, as sophomore Damara Allen scored 12 and junior Jayda Holiman 10. Additionally, UTSA shot 47% from the field, while the opposition shot 40%.
Columbia started off hot, scoring the first nine points of the contest before Rowe logged UTSA’s first bucket. After trading blows, the ‘Runners sparked a 6-0 surge to pull within three. Columbia got a shot to fall, and Holiman nailed a triple for a 13-11 score line, still favoring the Lions. A pair of Columbia free throws followed, and each team knocked down a three-pointer, sending the game into the second, with the Lions leading, 18-14.
After two Columbia freebies, back-to-back fastbreak buckets for Hammonds and Robles saw a 20-18 score. Multiple spurts then allowed a Hardaway layup to deliver a 22-21 lead that was the Roadrunners' first of the day. From there, the Lions sank two from the charity stripe, but UTSA finished the half strong with consecutive triples by Hardaway, seeing a 30-23 edge.
The battle raged on in the third, with the teams exchanging makes, en route to a 42-36 score midway through the stanza. Columbia then embarked on a 6-2 run to trim their deficit to two. The Lions later tied the contest, 45-45, but Hardaway nailed a three from the top of the key to put UTSA back in front, working a 52-49 advantage at the period’s conclusion.
Columbia connected on a pair of three pointers in the final frame to take a 55-54 lead, and neither team could gain an inch ahead of a 59-59 deadlock. Rowe and Holiman got shots to fall, and Allen converted two freebies for a 65-59 advantage with three minutes remaining. The Lions responded with 11 straight of their own, resulting in a 70-65 victory.
UTSA will now turn its attention towards American Conference play, with a contest against Tulane on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 1 p.m. inside the Convocation Center in San Antonio.
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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