SAN DIEGO– The UTSA women’s basketball team’s comeback bid fell short on Sunday, as they lost a 65-56 contest to San Diego State at Viejas Arena.
The Roadrunners (0-2, 0-0 American) came up short against the Aztecs (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12), despite outscoring the opposition 26-10 in the third quarter, trimming a 26-point deficit to just five in the fourth.
Junior Damara Allen paced the team in scoring for the second straight game, with 13 points, while redshirt sophomore Taylor Ross added 12 and senior Idara Udo 10. Sophomore Adriana Robles also featured in the double-digit points club, and senior Kierra Merchanted added nine on a trio of triples. Ross led the squad in rebounds, collecting seven as UTSA outrebounded the opposition 33-24.
SDSU scored the first six points of the contest before an Allen floater put UTSA on the board. A later Merchant triple pulled the ‘Runners within one, but the Aztecs finished the first quarter strong, building an 18-9 advantage.
Udo opened the second stanza with a bucket before a 12-0 SDSU surge pushed the score to 30-11. A long two for Udo ended the cold streak, ahead of a seven-point stretch that sent the Aztecs into the locker room up 37-13.
SDSU increased its lead to 26 at the start of the third, ahead of an 8-0 UTSA run that resulted in a 39-21 score. The Aztecs got a jumper to fall, and the ‘Runners scored six straight to trim the deficit to 14. A Merchant trey shortly after made the score 43-30. SDSU scored again, and Robles answered with a three-pointer that sparked a nine-point streak to 45-39. The Aztecs got one more shot to fall, taking a 47-39 edge into the final frame.
Merchant hit from range to kick off the fourth, and SDSU replied with a trio of free throws to build a 50-42 lead. The Aztecs rebuilt an 11-point cushion, and UTSA couldn't complete the comeback, losing 65-56.
The ‘Runners will return to San Antonio with three games awaiting at the Convocation Center, first hosting UIW at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11. A matchup against Louisiana will follow on Monday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m., ahead of a Saturday, Nov. 21, battle with North Dakota State at noon.
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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