FRISCO, Texas – Elyssa Coleman recorded a double-double and earned Player of the Game as the West No. 7 seeded Roadrunners topped West No. 6 seeded UTEP 58-57 in an overtime thriller on Tuesday to advance to the second round of the 2022 Heritage Landscape Supply Group Conference USA Basketball Championship at the Ford Center at the Star.
Coleman put up a career-high 21 points and 11 boards to help UTSA win its first conference tournament victory since 2018.
Coleman put the first points on the board and UTEP followed with a 3-pointer to lead 3-2. Coleman and Queen Ulabo hit back-to-back shots to regain the lead, 6-3, but a 7-0 run from the Miners put them back on top (10-6) at the 5:33 mark. Jadyn Pimentel broke the drought with a free throw until UTEP went on another scoring surge to lead 20-7. A 3-pointer from Charlene Mass with 57 seconds left brought the Roadrunners within 10 (20-10) at the buzzer.
In the second, the Roadrunners gained momentum and scored five consecutive points to bridge the gap to five, 20-15, with 6:44 remaining. The Miners made two free throws to extend the lead, but UTSA finished the quarter on a 6-1 run to trail 23-21 at the half.
Coming out of the locker room, it was a battle for the ball the entire 10 minutes. By the 6:16 mark, both teams had scored six points each as UTEP led 29-27. Pimentel hit a shot at the 5:45 mark to tie the game 29-29. The Miners regained the lead with 5:23 remaining as both teams continued to hit short runs as the Roadrunners trailed 39-34 at the end of the third.
UTSA opened the fourth with back-to-back shots to trail by one, 39-38, at the 7:30 mark. The Miners hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead, but he Roadrunners rallied and went on a 6-0 run to lead 44-42. Both teams kept finding the basket keeping the score tight. UTEP scored four consecutive points to lead 52-51 with 15 seconds remaining. With seven seconds left on the clock, Pimentel drew a foul and made a free throw to tie the game and force it into overtime.
In the final five minutes, the lead changed four times until UTEP tied the game 57-57 with 1:20 remaining. Charlene Mass hit a free throw with three seconds on the clock to take the lead and clinch the game.
The Roadrunners return to the court tomorrow when they face East No. 3 seeded Old Dominion at 11:30 a.m.
Notes
- UTSA is now 7-22 on the season
- Starters: Elyssa Coleman, Jadyn Pimentel, Queen Ulabo, Lapraisjah Johnson, Chantel Govan
- Elyssa Coleman recorded her third double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds
- Pimentel recorded 14 points, along with a team-high six steals
-UTSA-