BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Behind a junior Idara Udo double-double, the No. 6 Seed UTSA women’s basketball team took down No. 7 Seed Temple, 59-51, in the Second Round of the American Women’s Basketball Championships on Wednesday at Legacy Arena at the BJCC.
With the win, UTSA will advance to the quarterfinals, where they’ll take on the No. 3 Seed South Florida on Thursday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and 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. Live stats for the contest can be found at goUTSA.com/wbbstats, and tickets can be purchased at goUTSA.com/wbbtickets.
The Roadrunners (15-15, 9-9 American) topped the Owls (15-17, 8-10 American) as Udo logged 11 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Ereauna Hardaway led all scorers with 17 points, also logging six boards, and classmate Cheyenne Rowe tallied 13 points and seven rebounds.
As a team, UTSA shot 42% from the field, while holding Temple to 32%. The ‘Runners also collected 44 rebounds to the Owls, 27, and had eight more fast-break points.
UTSA jumped out to a 6-2 advantage on a Hardaway triple early in the first. The Roadrunners increased their lead to six before an Owl triple sparked an 11-0 surge that put Temple ahead, 17-12. Rowe halted the run with an elbow jumper, as a bucket by junior Jayda Holiman and a freshman Adriana Robles free throw handed UTSA an 18-17 edge. The Owls got a shot to fall, and Hardaway beat the buzzer from beyond the arc to take a 21-19 lead into the subsequent stanza.
The squads exchanged blows in the second, as the ‘Runners held a 25-24 lead midway through the quarter. A scoring drought ensued, as Temple had the only make across the final five minutes for a 26-25 halftime lead.
Udo got the third quarter started with back-to-back makes, and a Hardaway layup had the ‘Runners leading, 31-26. Sophomore Damara Allen added a pair of free throws, and a later Rowe bucket saw a 37-28 score line. UTSA stretched its advantage to 11, but Temple scored four straight for a 42-35 score. Hardaway got a shot to fall, and Rowe knocked down a pair from the charity stripe, resulting in a 46-35 edge at the quarter's conclusion.
Temple sank back-to-back shots to open the fourth, but a floater for sophomore Mia Hammonds helped keep the ‘Runners in front. From there, UTSA kept the opposition at arm's length for a 59-51 win.
The Roadrunners now turn their attention towards the Bulls (20-11, 13-5 American), who finished third in the regular season, with only five conference losses on their ledger.
USF came away with both regular-season matches against the ‘Runners, first winning 70-53 in Tampa, before a 69-63 win in San Antonio.
Allen provided a bright spot in the first game, scoring 13 with 10 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double, while classmate Emilia Dannebauer posted a career-high 13 points.
In the sequel, it was Udo in the double-double club with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Hardaway added 17 points with eight assists.
The top passing team in the conference, the Bulls dish out 16 assists per game and excel on the glass with 28.3 defensive rebounds per game, pacing the American and sitting 29th nationally. 40.8 total rebounds are second in the league, and the Bulls also boast the second-most potent scoring offense, averaging 71.0 points.
Stefanie Ingram has played a major role in the offensive success, with 5.7 assists per game, slotting her 18th in the NCAA. Carla Brito and L’or Mputu get the job done on the glass, each ranking on the conference’s top-10 leader board with Brito third at 9.4 rebounds per game and Mputu seventh with 8.1.
Four squad members average double-digit points, with Edyn Battle leading the way to the tune of 14.8. Katie Davidson charts 12.5 points per game, while Mputu manages 10.7 and Ingram 10.0.
Brito was a Second Team All-conference selection, and Ingram and Battle both appeared on the Third Team. Additionally, Davison was selected for the All-Newcomer Team.
For more information about the 2026 American Basketball Championships, head to theamerican.org/feature/hoops-championships. A tournament central page is available at goutsa.com/AmericanChamps.
Keep up with UTSA Women’s Basketball all season long on goutsa.com and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB.
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