LAS VEGAS– The UTSA women’s basketball team suffered a 69-51 defeat at the hands of UNLV on Friday in the 2026-27 season opener at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The Roadrunners (0-1, 0-0 American) couldn’t overcome the Lady Rebels (1-1, 0-0 Mountain West), despite a career-high 17 points by junior Damara Allen. Redshirt senior Praise Egharevba scored nine, with senior Kierra Merchant, sophomore Emily Hunter and freshman Amaya McDonald all making their UTSA debuts. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Ross topped the team with seven rebounds, tying her career best, while Allen collected six boards and Merchant six.
UTSA worked an early lead on an Allen bucket and an Egharevba triple, but an and-one and a three-pointer for UNLV put the Lady Rebels in front. Merchant scored the next five for the ‘Runners, resulting in a 10-6 edge midway through the frame. The squads traded blows until a UNLV bucket closed the quarter with UTSA leading, 14-12.
A 10-0 run allowed the Lady Rebels to go up 27-18 in the second stanza. An Allen three-pointer halted the run, and neither team scored again as UNLV took a 27-21 edge into the locker room.
The Lady Rebels started the third hot, scoring the first seven before Egharevba finished a second-chance layup and Udo sank a shot to make it 34-25. A flurry of free throws followed, and each team hit a triple for a 40-30 UNLV lead. The Lady Rebels stretched the advantage to 16, leading 53-37, entering the fourth.
It was more of the same in the final frame, as UNLV finished strong for a 69-51 victory.
UTSA will continue its road swing on Sunday, facing San Diego State at Viejas Arena at 3 p.m. CT.
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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